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Army to support kin of slain rebel in Northern Samar

By Sarwell Meniano

June 6, 2022, 3:57 pm

<p><strong>SENSELESS DEATH.</strong> Philippine Army's 20th Infantry Battalion commander Lt. Col. Joemar Buban visits the wake of a rebel killed during a clash with government forces in Palapag, Northern Samar in this May 31, 2022 photo. The military vowed on Monday (June 6) to continue its support to the bereaved family.<em> (Photo courtesy of Philippine Army)</em></p>

SENSELESS DEATH. Philippine Army's 20th Infantry Battalion commander Lt. Col. Joemar Buban visits the wake of a rebel killed during a clash with government forces in Palapag, Northern Samar in this May 31, 2022 photo. The military vowed on Monday (June 6) to continue its support to the bereaved family. (Photo courtesy of Philippine Army)

TACLOBAN CITY – The Philippine Army’s 20th Infantry Battalion (IB) said it will continue to support the family of a rebel who was slain in a recent clash with government troops in Palapag, Northern Samar.

Army’s 20th IB spokesperson, 2nd Lt. Joyce Ann Bayron, said they have been visiting the family especially the wake of Geronimo Javier, 31, a fighter of the communist terrorist group New People’s Army (NPA) who was killed in an encounter on May 25.

“We are committed to extend other assistance to the bereaved family to start anew and to live a peaceful life away from the lies and deceptions of the communist NPA terrorists,” Bayron told the Philippine New Agency in a phone interview Monday.

The military and the local government extended financial assistance to Javier’s family and shouldered the burial expenses. Bayron declined to disclose the amount.

On June 3, the military gave Javier a decent burial after a week-long wake at the family’s house in Cabariwan village in Palapag town.

Troopers retrieved Javier's body immediately after the encounter with 10 armed rebels. Upon identification, they coordinated with village officials to facilitate his transport to Palapag rural health unit for post-mortem examination.

Through the help of the Palapag town, Javier's body was turned over to his family for the wake.

“A life that is lost, either of our soldiers or of the enemies is heartbreaking. But this could have been prevented if these CNTs heeded our call for them to return to the folds of the law,” 20th IB commander Lt. Col. Joemar Buban said in a statement on Monday.

The Army is looking at providing scholarship for Javier's two children.

Javier was a member of the NPA’s Front Committee 15, the group responsible for intimidation, grave threats, and extortion activities in the Northern Samar communities.

Authorities said the high incidence of poverty in Northern Samar makes people in upland communities vulnerable to the persuasion of the Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF).

The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

The Anti-Terrorism Council also formally designated the NDF as a terrorist organization on June 23, 2021, citing it as “an integral and inseparable part” of the CPP-NPA that was created in April 1973. (PNA)

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