REUNITED WITH MA. Wena (right), the 18-year-old pregnant former member of the communist New People’s Army who surrendered to the Army's 23rd Infantry Battalion on May 16, is finally reunited with her mother Dina (names concealed for security reasons) on Sunday (May 31, 2020) at the headquarters of 23IB in Buenavista, Agusan del Norte. Dina also called on her husband and son, both NPA fighters, to surrender and return to the fold of the law. (PNA photo by Alexander Lopez)
BUTUAN CITY – A pregnant New People’s Army (NPA) rebel who surrendered in the Agusan del Norte town of Buenavista was finally reunited with her mother on Sunday (May 31) at the Army's 23rd Infantry Battalion headquarters based in the said town.
Alias "Wena", 18, together with another pregnant NPA alias “Apay”, 38, were rescued by the Army's 23rd Infantry Battalion after residents in Sitio Cabalalahan informed the Army of their presence in Barangay Guinabsan, Buenavista, on May 16.
The two were left behind by their companions at the house of an alleged rebel supporter following the military operations against the rebels after the May 10, 2020 firefight that killed 15 NPA combatants.
“I thank Dina (name concealed for security reasons) for paying a visit to her daughter who is already four months pregnant. During this time, her daughter, who is only 18, needs utmost care from a mother,” Lt. Col. Francisco Molina, the commander of 23rd IB, told Philippine News Agency on Monday (June 1).
Molina said the 23IB arranged the reunification of Wena and her mother "whom she did not see for nearly two years since she joined the NPA movement".
In an interview with her daughter on Sunday, Dina said she was grateful her daughter is still alive despite the dangers she faced while with the rebels.
Dina, 51 said Wena, the seventh among her nine children, was recruited by the NPA when she was 16 while studying in Buenavista National High School.
“She was a working student and already in Grade 9 when she ran away together with a friend who was an NPA member. I want her to finish her schooling but I failed. She was lured by her friend to join the NPA,” Dina said.
She said that aside from Wena, two other members of her family were taken by the NPA, to include her husband and a son.
“I have not seen my husband and my son for three years now. I heard words that they were among those killed during the encounter last May 10. I already lost contact with them,” Dina said.
NPA destroys families
Dina said she experienced hardships raising her family without her husband.
“We first stayed in Sitio Bulak, Olave, Agusan del Norte but life was very difficult there considering the distance from the town center. A relative helped me transfer to Sitio Dalao-an where my family is allowed to farm inside a 20-hectare land. Now I am growing corn, cassava, and vegetables to sustain our daily needs,” Dina said.
She added that of her nine children, only three are left in her care as the others had already settled with their families in other provinces.
“It is hard to stand as family head without the support of a husband. I cannot understand why the NPA has to take husbands and children, even minors, to join their fight against the government,” Dina said.
She said she has long been aware of the presence of the NPA in their area and was also convinced by the rebels to join them.
“What will happen to my remaining children if I join them? They will die of hunger. I was resolved then, deep in my heart, not to join the NPA,” Dina said, adding that she tried to stop her husband from joining the NPA but failed.
“He was mad at me as I was trying to stop him and my son. He was very angry with me. So I just stopped convincing them. And then one day they left us,” Dina said.
She said she was even more heartbroken upon learning that Wena also joined the communist rebels.
“How I wish I have a complete family. It’s only in a dream as the NPA movement took them away from me. Now I do not know if they are still alive,” Dina said.
A mother's appeal
If given a chance to face the NPA, Dina said her appeal to them would be to stop recruiting the youth and help communities in preserving families.
“When my family members left to join the NPA movement, all I did was cry. There was nothing I could do,” Dina said.
She said the NPA leadership regularly spreads false promises in their community, "spreading lies" about the support they supposedly give to the families of their combatants.
“What support? They are lying. For more than three years that my husband and son, and lately my daughter were with them, not a single centavo reached our home from them. I have to exert efforts to do farm work and paid daily to earn money. I need to plant crops hoping for some harvest to earn some income. That’s the truth,” Dina said.
STOP THE RECRUITMENT. Dina (her name is concealed for security reasons) appeals to the communist New People's Army to stop recruiting minors and young people as she criticizes the rebels for destroying her own family. Dina is reunited with her daughter, a pregnant former member of the NPA, on Sunday (May 31) at the headquarters of the Army's 23rd Infantry Battalion in Buenavista, Agusan del Norte. (PNA photo by Alexander Lopez)
She said if her husband or son would call her in the coming days, she will again convince them to go home and surrender.
Dina also asked the youth to “think first and consider your families and future” and not be easily persuaded by the NPA recruitment.
She also expressed gratitude to the 23IB for taking care of her pregnant daughter.
“After giving birth, I want her to continue her studies. She told me about the difficulties she experienced while inside the NPA movement. I hope she already learned lessons,” Dina said.
In an interview on Monday, Molina renewed his call for families whose sons and daughters are still inside the NPA movement to convince them to abandon the NPA and return to their homes.
“The government is always ready to accept you, so as your families and communities. While you have still time, decide now to go back to the fold of the law,” Molina said.
He also made it clear that the Army will sustain its military operations against NPA combatants in the area.
“We are committed to perform our mandate as soldiers. We will pursue you as we continue to secure our communities from your terroristic activities. Surrender now before it is too late,” Molina said.
The NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. (PNA)
