LIANGA, Surigao del Sur – The Philippine Army (PA) reiterates its commitment to upholding international humanitarian law and respecting human rights and dignity of all individuals irrespective of their affiliations.
In line with this commitment, the remains of an individual of the Communist Party of the Philippines- New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) , who died during the recent encounter with government troops, was properly turned over to the immediate family in Sitio Neptune, Barangay Diatagon, Lianga, Surigao del Sur by the troops of the 401st Infantry “Unite N’ Fight” Brigade on August 20, 2023.
Major Alvin G. Nangkil of the Civil Military Operations (CMO) of 401st Brigade identified the deceased CNT as Melvin Jacinto Tabugol, also known as Ka Maro, a political instructor of the Sub-Regional Sentro De Gravidad SouthLand (SRSDG SL) of the North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee (NEMRC).
Based on the report, on August 19, 2023, in Barangay La Perian, Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur, Punong Barangay Vicente T. Cabag Jr., reported that a cadaver and believed to be a CNT was discovered a day after the encounter of combined troops of 75th Infantry Battalion (75IB) and 41st Division Reconnaissance Company (41DRC) against more or less 30 CNTs in the said area.
Through the Provincial Task Force- to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (PTF-ELCAC), the assistance was mobilized through the help of the Philippine National Police and the local government unit of Prosperidad in Agusan del Sur in which the cadaver was successfully extracted on August 19 and was immediately transported using the vehicle of the 3rd Special Forces Battalion (3SF) to a funeral home for appropriate disposition.
“The Philippine Army, as a professional organization, took necessary measures to ensure that utmost respect and established protocols were accorded to the remains of the dead, including the assistance to the immediate family and the provision of the deceased individual with a decent and proper burial,” Brigadier General Francisco F Lorenzo Jr. emphasized.
He added that unlike the communist terrorist group, the soldiers of the country do not leave anyone behind. It is included in their call of duty to pay respect to slain brothers and sisters, who at the end of the day were merely victims of wrong ideology, deceit and exploitation. (RLE/ NGPB, PIA-Surigao del Sur)
