GRIEVING MOTHER. Marina Borres (2nd from left) signs documents to claim the remains of her son, Cris Guilayon, a New People’s Army (NPA) combatant killed in an encounter on May 20, 2021 in Barangay Guinabsan, Buenavista, Agusan del Norte. Borres was assisted by 2Lt. Angel Grace M. Sebelina (1st from left), the acting civil-military operations officer of the Army's 23rd Infantry Battalion. (Photo courtesy of 23IB)
BUTUAN CITY – The mother of the New People’s Army (NPA) rebel killed during an encounter last week in the Agusan del Norte town of Buenavista has claimed the remains of her son Sunday afternoon, a military official said.
Lt. Col. Julius Cesar C. Paulo, the commander of 23rd Infantry Battalion (23IB), said Marina Borres, whose son Cris Guilayon was killed in a firefight last Thursday, hopes the tragedy that has befallen her family won't happen to others.
“Mrs. Marina Borres and her daughter Rose Mae appeared in Barangay Guinabsan on Sunday and coordinated with our unit and the members of the barangay council to claim the cadaver,” Paulo said in a statement.
Paulo quoted the mother as saying that parents and young people should resist the "recruitment and deception" of the NPA rebels to stop the loss of life among the youth.
“I hope that no more innocent people will be fooled by the NPA to join their movement and eventually die and abandoned by their comrades. I pray that no more families cry due to the loss of their loved ones deceived by these communists. We will never see Dodong again,” Borres was quoted as saying.
She also thanked the 23IB and the barangay council of Guinabsan where the clash occurred for taking care of the remains of her son.
“The 23IB respected the dead body of my son. From the encounter site, the soldiers carried his body and had it cleaned in a funeral parlor. Despite his being a rebel, the 23IB paid respect to my son by taking care of his dead body,” Borres said.
Her daughter, Rose Mae, said that her brother was working in a construction site in Buenavista and later relocated to Davao Region to work sometime in 2019.
“We lost regular communication with him since March 2019 and he seldom called us. Last April 20, 2021, he called and told us that he is now with the NPA. He also told us that the NPA leaders promised financial support to his family. I convinced him to leave the NPA movement as the promises made by their leaders are not true but he ignored me,” Rose Mae said.
She said her brother is survived by his wife and two young children.
“I told him that what the NPA leaders were telling him were lies as no financial aid was received by his wife. It’s us who provided support to his wife and children whom he abandoned when he joined the rebel movement,” Rose Mae said.
She blamed her brother's demise on the "false and empty promises" of the NPA.
Paulo said he hopes the rebels under the Guerilla Front 4A would heed the call of the slain rebel's family and give up the rebellion.
“Many NPA rebels have lost their precious lives and their families mourned for their loss. I hope that the remnants of GF-4A in the areas of Agusan del Norte would ponder on this incident, that no matter how loyal they are to their leaders, they will only be treated as nobody, especially when incidents like this happen,” Paulo said.
“Lay down your arms now while you still have time. The government is always open to accept you back and provide you the needed support to renew your lives," he added.
The NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. (PNA)
