The bereaved families of two members of the New People’s Army (NPA) slain in an encounter with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), were finally able to claim their relative’s remains to have a proper burial, after nearly 20 hours of negotiations.
The two red fighters Divine “Ka Zoe/Ka Joy” Sureta and Paulo “Ka Ramon/Isko” Cruz were killed in an encounter at Guinayangan, Quezon on Tuesday, according to reports. Their remains have been kept by the 201st Infantry Brigade and 85th Infantry Battalion following the clash.
Jonathan Vender of the 201st Infantry Brigade demanded that the relatives show documentary proof of their identity and relation to the victims, such as birth certificates.
Rigor Sureta, pleaded for the remains of his sibling, after providing valid identification. “Bakit ayaw pa nilang (mga militar) ibigay sa akin? Tapos sinasabi nilang disente ang pagkaburol ng kapatid ko. Kung disenteng pagkaburol yan, sana nandoon ako. Ibalik niyo po sa amin ang kapatid ko. Gusto ko siyang makita.”
Jordan Cruz, brother of Paulo, said they were able to present documents yesterday afternoon. However, the military troops neither released the remains of the deceased nor showed their body even to confirm their identity, until earlier today.
The treatment of the families of Cruz and Sureta are dirty tactics of intimidation and harassment, according to the rights group Karapatan-Southern Tagalog.
There was no need to further delay the release of the deceased, provided that the families had supplied sufficient documentation as required, the group added.
The Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law provides that immediate action must be taken to treat the deceased and dispose of them with respect.
Bereaved families, with paralegals from Karapatan Southern Tagalog, successfully appealed to the municipal government and police of Guinayangan, Quezon to process the release and travel permits for the remains of their kin and bring them home, so that they may properly mourn.
The National Democratic Front (NDF) in Southern Tagalog honored yesterday Sureta and Cruz as revolutionary martyrs, whose contributions continue to inspire the persistence of revolutionaries.
In June 2023, the military and the local government of Quezon declared the province free from communist revolutionists. They said the province had attained “stable internal peace and security,” which means that the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), the NDF, and the NPA are no longer a “threat” to the peace and order in its localities.
CPP dismissed AFP’s threat of total annihilation of the NPA by year-end, maintaining that all 14 regional commands remain intact, according to a statement yesterday, with the NPA’s 55th founding anniversary.
Peace negotiations between the NDF and the Philippine government have yet to formally start, but a joint statement from the two parties was signed in November last year, signifying both camps’ desire to restart the talks anew.
“Upang maipataw ang kontra-mamamayang mga programa, at supilin ang makatarungang pakikibaka ng bayan, pinaiigting ng estado ang pasistang pang-aatake.…Ito ang obhetibong kalagayan na kailangang sagpangin ng rebolusyonaryong kilusan,” said Patnubay de Guia, spokesperson of NDF-Southern Tagalog, in a statement. ●
