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By SHERWIN DE VERA
www.nordis.net

BAGUIO CITY—In the annals of the Cordillera revolutionary movement, the Butbut tribe of Tingalayan holds a distinct place, having produced icons of resistance such as Macli-ing Dulag, Pedro Dungoc, and Lumbaya Gayudan.

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and New People’s Army (NPA) in the Ilocos-Cordillera region say another name has been added to that list: Victor “Ka Changli” Daligdig.

A native of Barangay Buscalan, Daligdig was identified as the fatality in a series of armed encounters between government troops and communist guerrillas that shook the town of Pinukpuk. The firefights spanned four days, beginning on November 21 in Barangay Bayao, and the last reported encounter was on November 24 in Sitio Tamiing, Barangay Allaguia.  

Daligdig was described by his comrades not merely as a combatant, but as a “poor peasant” who developed a profound grasp of the revolution at a young age. This understanding transformed him from a community organizer into a politico-military front cadre, a role he fulfilled without wavering for 17 years. 

The Chadli Molintas Command honored him as a cadre who “never lie-lowed” nor ceased his work, even for a short time.

“He continued and actively participated in mass base building, agrarian revolution, and the advancement of the armed struggle in the past 17 years of being a fulltime Red fighter,” the command said in a statement.

His comrades recalled his specific skills in propaganda and ideological work, driven by a belief that “the strength and power of the oppressed and exploited masses is the fortress of the revolutionary struggle.” 

Daligdig’s history with the movement traces back to one of the most turbulent periods in the region’s underground history.

According to the CPP-NPA, Daligdig chose to side with the Cordillera Peoples Democratic Front (CPDF) during the 1986 split, when the late Conrado Balweg broke away to form the Cordillera Peoples’ Liberation Army (CPLA). 

Before taking up arms full-time, he was instrumental in building mass organizations for the underground peasant group Pambansang Katipunan ng Magbubukid.

The clash that claimed Daligdig’s life occurred during a focused military operation against what the Armed Forces of the Philippines identified as “Platoon Dos” of the Ilocos-Cordillera Regional Guerrilla Unit.

While the military reported that one soldier was wounded in the operation, rebel accounts claim that one soldier was killed and another wounded during the exchange of fire.#nordis.net