The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) on Tuesday expressed grief over the death of alleged New People’s Army (NPA) member Vince Francis Dingding, saying the incident underscores the emotional toll of armed conflict on Filipino families.
Dingding, a former student leader from Cebu City, was among five individuals killed in an encounter with government troops in Cauayan, Negros Occidental, on May 16, according to authorities.
In a statement, the task force said Dingding’s death was “not only a story about a young life lost in armed conflict” but also “a painful story of a son lost to a movement that gradually pulled him away from home, from family, and from the people who loved him most.”
The NTF-Elcac cited a handwritten letter dated May 18, signed by Dingding’s parents, Romulo and Rica, requesting that all matters related to their son’s death be coordinated through their barangay captain to spare the family further distress.
The letter also revealed that Dingding’s mother is battling colon cancer and had been advised to avoid stress during her recovery.