The army said the New People’s Army (NPA) member killed in an encounter with government troops last June 29 in Iloilo was recruited when he was only 17 years old.
The parents of the slain NPA member Malvin Christian V. Cruz of Barangay San Nicolas, Oton, Iloilo, 21, said the communist-terrorist group recruited their son when he was still a minor, a press statement from the Army’s 61st Infantry Battalion (61IB).
Cruz was from Barangay San Nicolas, Oton, Iloilo. He was a 1st year Bachelor of Arts in Statistics student at the University of the Philippines Visayas-Miagao campus during the school year 2015-2016 when he was recruited to the NPA.
“He was four years in the movement. He was claimed after barely five days by his parents from a funeral parlor in Miagao, Iloilo,” said Lt. Col. Joel Benedict Batara, commanding officer of the 61IB, in an interview on Monday.
Batara said, based on gathered information, Cruz cut communication with his parents for more than three years.
He added that recovery of the young rebel’s body was a clear indication that the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-NPA continue to recruit young people and minors from target universities.
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Killed NPA rebel was recruited when he was only 17
“This communist NPA terrorist, they want to destroy the very fabric of the society, including the smallest unit of the society—the family. They would like to separate the parents from their children because once they lost control over their children, that would be a success on the part of the NPA,” he added.
The official said parents should be alarmed once their children show a change in behavior and when they stop coming home to join protests.
“Student activism is normal. The government is encouraging students to be active because it develops their critical thinking. But once he armed himself, he has to face the law,” he added.
Before joining the NPA, Cruz was an active member of the League of Filipino Students (LFS) and the IBON Foundation.
In the NPA, Cruz was the team leader of Squad 3, Suyak Platoon, Southern Front, Komiteng Rehiyon-Panay led by Joven Ceralvo.
“The targets of their recruitment are the minors because of their idealism, dynamism, lack of experience, and guidance from parents,” Batara said.