ILOILO CITY — The 61st Infantry Battalion (IB) recently retrieved and buried the body of a New People’s Army (NPA) killed in an encounter in Valderrama, Antique.
SOLDIERS bury an NPA rebel in Dumarao town, Capiz province. (Army 61st IB)
The 61st IB, with the 12th Infantry Battalion (IB), buried Gunning in his hometown of Dumarao in Capiz province on April 14. The Army buried Gunning as no family member claimed his remains.
In a statement, 61st IB chief Lt. Col. Arturo Balgos Jr. said Gunning still deserves dignity despite being a rebel who fought against the government.
The Army considered the burial of Gunning as the ultimate manifestation of the Holy Week which is a time of forgiveness and redemption.
Gunning, a political guide of the NPA Central Front Committee of Panay Island, reportedly died while he and his comrades were fleeing government troops.
He was said to be hypertensive prior to his death.
A former rebel known as “Boy Negro” disclosed where Gunning was buried to soldiers.