BACOLOD CITY – The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) announced on Tuesday, May 19, that the family of Vince Francis Dingding, who was killed in an encounter between the military and the New People’s Army (NPA) in Cauayan, Negros Occidental, on May 16, would no longer claim his remains.

In a handwritten letter dated May 18 signed by his parents and shared by the anti-insurgency council on social media, the couple formally appealed that all matters related to their son's death be coursed through their barangay captain to spare them from further distress.

They revealed that his mother is battling colon cancer and has been strictly advised to avoid stress to aid her healing and recovery.

"P.S. We decided that we will no longer claim his remains in Negros Occ.,” they said.

The NTF-ELCAC expressed profound grief and sorrow over another heartbreaking tragedy, which they said was not only a story about a young life lost in armed conflict, but 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.

Brig. Gen. Jason Jumawan, commander of the 302nd Infantry Brigade (IBde), said they are currently persuading Dingding’s parents to claim his remains and bury him in their hometown. He added that they are willing to shoulder the transportation cost and coordinate with the local government for other assistance.

Jumawan said Dingding's family was aware of his decision to enter the armed struggle in 2017. His parents tried to convince him to surrender but he refused.

Jumawan said that if Dingding’s parents will not claim his remains, the local government of Cauayan will facilitate the burial.

Dingding, alias “Poy,” was a former student leader and an alumnus of the University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu.

He was a resident of Cebu City and identified by the Philippine Army as an alleged political instructor of the dismantled South East Front (SEF)-D from 2022 to 2024 and SEF deputy secretary.

According to a Facebook post by the official school publication Tug-ani, Dingding was a graduate of UP Cebu Computer Science.

Dingding served in the UP Cebu University Student Council (USC) as vice chairperson in 2015, councilor in 2014, and second-year representative in 2013.

He was affiliated with mass organizations Nagkahiusang Kusog sa Estudyante (NKE) and Kabataan party-list Cebu and was known for campaigns centered on student rights, education, and human rights.

The NTF-ELCAC said Dingding reportedly participated in various campaigns and political activities and became involved with Kabataan Cebu prior to joining the armed movement.

He allegedly entered the armed underground in 2017 and remained within NPA structures in Negros for nearly a decade.

Through the years, he reportedly assumed political and organizational functions within various units before operating in different fronts in Negros.

The path of Dingding, according to NTF-ELCAC, reflects a disturbing pattern that has surfaced repeatedly through the years and his case is not isolated.

“Even in the middle of mourning, a family was already struggling to survive another painful battle,” it said.

The anti-insurgency council said that his death is another painful reminder of the continuing tragedy caused by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-NPA-National Democratic Front (NDF) that preys on the idealism of young Filipinos and draws them from advocacy spaces into underground networks and, eventually, armed struggle.

“Beyond operational reports, is a far more painful truth: Another young Filipino life has been lost; another family is grieving; another future has been cut short,” it stated.

The NTF-ELCAC reiterated that prevention is a strongest weapon against terror grooming, adding that once young people are drawn deep into armed organizations, walking away becomes increasingly difficult and sometimes impossible.

“This is the real tragedy, not only that young people die in encounters, but that their futures are gradually taken from them long before the final shot is fired,” it said.

The NTF-ELCAC urged families, schools, universities, communities, and institutions to work together to recognize early warning signs, protect the youth, and ensure that legitimate social concern is never exploited as a pathway to violence.

Dingding died weeks after an alumna of UP Cebu was killed in a gunbattle between the military and the NPA in Barangay Tapi, Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental.