• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
A former alumnus of University of the Philippines Cebu who was killed in an armed encounter in Cauayan, Negros Occidental has been identified by the New People’s Army (NPA) as the secretary of its Southwest Negros Guerrilla Front.
Vince Francis Dingding, also known by his aliases “Poy” and “Moymoy,” was among the five NPA rebels killed in clashes with government troops in Cauayan, Negros Occidental. In a statement, the NPA’s Apolinario Gatmaitan Command said Dingding joined a “Tour of Duty” in 2018, before eventually becoming a full-time Red fighter.
The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) has condemned what it described as the “romanticizing” of rebel deaths by the Communist Party of the Philippines, and allegedly using them as propaganda for recruitment and ideological purposes.
According to the task force, Dingding’s case reflects what it called a recurring pattern involving activists who later joined armed rebel groups.
The NTF-ELCAC also cited cases involving former student activists killed in encounters with government troops in Negros Occidental, including Allysa Alano, Maureen Keil Santuyo, and RJ Ledesma, who were among the 19 individuals killed during a series of armed encounters between suspected rebel remnants and Army soldiers in Barangay Salamanca, Toboso on April 19.
Jhon Isidor “Dee” Supelanas, a former UP Cebu communication graduate and transgender activist, was also killed in an encounter with Army soldiers in Barangay Tapi, Kabankalan City on April 29 last year. The military identified Supelanas as a political instructor of the NPA’s Southwest Front.
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson has called on school administrators to be more vigilant in monitoring student activities inside campuses, following the deaths of several active and former student activists.
Lacson’s remarks drew criticism from Kabataan Party-list and youth groups, which claimed that such proposals could lead to surveillance, profiling, and alleged red-tagging inside academic institutions.
GRAVE CONCERN
The vice president for the Visayas of Kabataan Partylist expressed grave concern over the statement of Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson to monitor student activities in campuses.
“We view with grave concern the pronouncement of Governor Bong Lacson encouraging the “monitoring” of student activities in campuses, particularly in state universities, as if coaxing our academic institutions to perform intelligence work on our students. What the governor wishes to do only stands to stifle academic freedom, critical thinking, and the holistic development of the youth in our academic institutions,” Florence Guzon said in a press release.
This pronouncement forms part of the Whole of Nation Approach which seeks to subvert civilian institutions into the bloody counterinsurgency campaign led by the notorious red-tagger NTF-ELCAC, and vilify legitimate student actions and student activism in defense of constitutionally guaranteed rights. It seems as if the governor is imputing that student involvement in campus- and community-based campaigns is what leads some of our brightest students and youth towards the path of armed rebellion, she said.
This is subtle red-tagging, and a dangerous false equivalence that puts in harm’s way students who genuinely wish to serve marginalized communities and advance the rights and interests of the least of us. May we remind the good governor that policing, and eventually blocking progressive student actions within and without our academic institutions, will not deter our youth and students from participating in essential campaigns advancing the objective demands of the people, Guzon said.
So long as the perennial crises of widespread poverty, severe landlessness, and lacking opportunities continue to fester in our country, resistance against structural inequalities, in whatever form that may be, will always arise. Instead of focusing on student activities, we urge Governor Lacson and our school administrators to uphold academic freedom and ensure that students are protected from state-sponsored monitoring and intimidation. Our students must be encouraged to develop holistically and contribute to the alleviation of the plight of our poorest and most underserved sectors, rather than be restricted from applying their knowledge on actual problems of our society, she said.
“We further call on the governor, and the government, to resume the peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines to begin anew the process of genuinely addressing the grievances of those who have been disillusioned by decades of unrealized promises of land reform and poverty alleviation in our country,” Guzon added.
RESPONSE
“That was addressed to the school administration,” the governor said.
Responding to the criticism, Lacson stressed the school administrators need to be aware of activities happening within campuses.
“What is wrong with school administrations knowing what activities are going on among the youth?” he asked
“I respect their opinion, but they should also respect other opinions,” he added.
While saying he could not directly confirm NPA recruitment inside schools, Lacson maintained there are activities “going in that direction.”*
