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Young NPA cadre ambushed

BAGUIO CITY (July 10) — The namesake and youngest son of Cordillera Peoples Democratic Front (CPDF) spokesperson Simon Naogsan Sr. was fatally cornered in an ambush by government troops in Sitio Mabongtot, Basar, a remote village in Sallapadan, Abra at around 2:30 P.M. last July 7.

The chance encounter was confirmed by the NPA’s Chadli Molintas Command (NPA-CMC) in a statement it emailed to the media.

Ka Sibat, his nom de guerre, was brought to a funeral parlor in Dolores town, also in Abra with the help of the local government of Sallapadan town and the local military.  On Sunday, his sister claimed and brought his remains to Baguio City. Examined and autopsied at the Funeraria La Paz morgue here Monday morning, Naogsan Jr., turning 21 on July 21, sustained five gunshot wounds in different parts of his body.

Army Major Vicente Basilan of the Civil Relations Service of the Armed Forces based at Camp Allen, here who helped in the retrieval of Naogsan Jr.’s body from the site of the gunbattle in barangay Ud-udiao, Sallapadan town, in Abra, said a male NPA rebel was slain Friday when government forces and some 15 communist guerillas fought for about an hour.

Basilan, also from Mountain Province where the Naogsans hail, claimed the troops were not sure yet of the male identity.  “We are checking it with ISAFP,” he said. He added that in the meantime, the military would like to refer only to the dead NPA rebel as “Ka Jr.”

NPA-CMC confirmed that the lone fatality is Naogsan, Jr. or Ka Sibat, who went on an exposure program in Abra in March 2003 and later joined the NPA and was formally accepted when he turned 18 on July 21, 2003.”

The Agustin Begnalen Command (NPA-ABC) operating in Abra sent a eulogy to the family saying “Ka Sibat is a worthy son you can be proud of, and he has made us all proud. You have raised and taught him well… the life he chose to live reflects the essential correctness of his upbringing. He followed his father’s footsteps and lived up to his father’s name.”

Two M16 armalite rifles were also recovered by troopers belonging to the Army’s 41st Infantry Battalion based in Abra, Basilan claimed.

Quoting Lt. Col. Angelito De Leon, commanding officer of the government forces, Basilan said they were tipped by villagers of the presence of armed men in the village prompting the military to immediately head in the area.  When the government forces were closing in, the fighting started, the military said.

NPA-ABC, however said Ka Sibat’s team was on its way to a tactical offensive against the 41st IB when ambushed by government soldiers who outnumbered and outmaneuvered them. “Ka Sibat and other comrades valiantly fought back,” the NPA-ABC said.

Like the NPA-CMC, the Abra red fighters also regard Ka Sibat as one of the finest sons of the Cordillera, adding “Ka Sibat showed the beauty of selfless service to the people, the nobility of wholehearted devotion to the revolution, the honor and glory of daring to fight and daring to win. His life will be a beacon for the youth to follow”.

Naogsan Sr., a former government engineer who used to be with the Commission on Audit (COA) joined the New People’s Army in the early 90’s and is currently the spokesperson of the NDF-affiliate CPDF but the military believes that he is the highest NPA leader in Mountain Province.

Another red fighter, Delfin “Ka Ian” Carino was wounded and captured in the same encounter. # Lyn V. Ramo and Ace Alegre for NORDIS

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