Cauayan urges calm after NPA clash

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — Cauayan Mayor John Rey Tabujara called on residents to stay calm and alert following clashes between government troops and suspected New People’s Army rebels in Barangays Abaca and Poblacion on Saturday that left five alleged insurgents dead.

Tabujara urged the public to cooperate with authorities, emphasizing that the town would not tolerate threats to the safety and well-being of residents.

He condemned the violence and intimidation linked to the NPA, which displaced 74 families from Barangays Man-uling, Abaca, and Poblacion.

“These acts have disrupted the peace of our communities and placed innocent civilians in distress,” the mayor said in a statement.

In a media interview, Tabujara described the encounter involving the Army’s 15th Infantry Battalion as a legitimate military operation and credited community cooperation for helping authorities locate the suspected rebels.

“Without the cooperation of the community, it would not be easy to determine the whereabouts of those who were killed,” he said.

Tabujara also revealed that the municipal government and the town council are considering declaring the NPA persona non grata in Cauayan.

Despite the clashes, he assured residents that Cauayan remains safe and said the Armed Forces of the Philippines continues to secure affected areas and restore peace and order.

He appealed to remaining rebels to surrender and avail themselves of government assistance programs instead of continuing the armed struggle.

“I condemn what is happening now. Many lives have been lost because of joining the NPA,” Tabujara said.

The mayor stressed that collective action is needed to address insurgency and prevent further loss of life.

He added that the municipal government would extend assistance to the families of the five slain suspected rebels.

Barangay Abaca Chairman Leonido Cumawas also called on residents to support government programs by reporting suspicious or unfamiliar activities to authorities.

Cumawas said vigilance and unity are essential to keeping their community peaceful and secure.

One of the fatalities was Francis Vince Dingding, alias “Poy,” an alleged political instructor of the dismantled South East Front-D from 2022 to 2024 and a resident of Cebu City.

According to the Philippine Army, Dingding was also tagged as deputy secretary of the South East Front.

Dingding was a former student councilor and an alumnus of the University of the Philippines Cebu.

The Philippine Army identified the four other fatalities as Rolando Dantes Jr., 39, with aliases “Mistah,” “Ana,” “Anyo,” “Arnel,” and “Roman,” an alleged commanding officer of the Southwest Front-D.

The Army also identified the other fatalities as Jobert Casipong, 22, with aliases “John,” “Ruby,” and “Ramram,” a suspected member of the Southwest Front.

Also killed was Gilbert Tingson, 50, with aliases “Ryan” and “Kolintong,” an alleged member of the Southwest Front.

Dantes, Casipong, and Tingson were all residents of Sipalay City, Negros Occidental.

The fifth fatality was identified as Alex Chavez Languita, alias “Axel,” an alleged South East Front member and a resident of Santa Catalina, Negros Oriental.

In a media interview, Dantes’ older sister, Vilma, confirmed her brother’s affiliation with the rebel group since he was a teenager but said she only recently learned about his alleged position in the group.

She said her brother joined the NPA in 2008 after witnessing Army personnel allegedly maul their father, who was suspected of being a rebel.

She added that her brother had been in the armed struggle for 21 years and that she last saw him five years ago.

She said she had tried to convince her brother to surrender, but he refused because he told her that he had already stained his name.

She said the family has accepted her brother’s fate and has no grudge against the Philippine Army over what happened.

In a media interview, Tingson’s wife also confirmed her husband’s links with the NPA since 2019.

She said the last time she saw her husband was in December 2024, when he celebrated the New Year with her and their six children for three days.

She said they could not force him to surrender because he had firmly decided to join the revolutionary movement after he was convinced by the group to fight for the masses.

“Nasakitan gid ko” (I was deeply hurt), Tingson’s wife said, but she had accepted his fate.

“Wala naman ko mahimo kay amo na siya,” she added.

She also said they have nothing against the military over what happened.

Brig. Gen. Jason Jumawan, commander of the 302nd Infantry Brigade, said in a statement that the continued collapse of communist terrorist formations in Negros reflects the growing rejection of violent armed struggle by communities once exploited through intimidation, extortion, deception, and fear.

He added that the recent clashes exposed the deteriorating condition of the dismantled Southwest Front, whose remaining members continue to suffer heavy losses, dwindling manpower, and declining support from local residents.

The Philippine Army has linked the Southwest Front to 26 civilian killings of persons tagged by rebels as “assets” or “spies” in Sipalay City, Cauayan, Kabankalan City, and parts of Negros Oriental since last year.

Jumawan emphasized that military operations remain focused on protecting civilians and preventing the remnants of the NPA from reestablishing influence in vulnerable communities.

“It’s unfortunate that many lives were lost, but the troops had to defend the community who are victims of the NPA’s senseless killings by “spy-tagging” innocent civilians,” he said.

Jumawan reiterated the government’s call for remaining rebels to surrender peacefully and avail themselves of reintegration programs before more lives are lost in what he described as a collapsing insurgency already rejected by the people.

The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict expressed deep sadness over the death of Dingding, a former student leader who died in the armed encounter in Cauayan.

The anti-insurgency council said his death is another painful reminder of the continuing tragedy caused by the Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA-National Democratic Front, which it said preys on the idealism of young Filipinos and draws them from advocacy spaces into underground networks and, eventually, armed struggle.

“Beyond operational reports, however, is a far more painful truth: another young Filipino life has been lost; another family is grieving; another future has been cut short,” it stated.

The NTF-ELCAC reiterated that prevention is the strongest weapon against terror grooming, adding that once young people are drawn deep into armed organizations, walking away becomes increasingly difficult — and sometimes impossible.

This is the real tragedy — not only that young people die in encounters, but that their futures are gradually taken from them long before the final shot is fired, it said.

The NTF-ELCAC urged families, schools, universities, communities, and institutions to work together to recognize early warning signs, protect the youth, and ensure that legitimate social concern is never exploited as a pathway to violence.

The task force said no Filipino death should ever be celebrated as a victory, least of all the death of a young, educated, and promising individual.

“Behind every casualty is not just a name in a report, but a son, a friend, a classmate, and a human life that once held immense possibility,” it said.

The NTF-ELCAC said Dingding’s story must not become just another casualty statistic but should stand as a painful national reminder: “every wasted youth is a loss to the Filipino people, and peace, opportunity, vigilance, and prevention remain our best defense against the cycle of deception, violence, and death.”