MANILA, Philippines—The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on Monday condemned the “terror-grooming” of the Communist Party of the Philippines, New People’s Army, and National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) as another former student leader died in an encounter between military forces and insurgents in Negros Occidental recently.
Vince Francis Dingding was reportedly with armed remnants of the NPA which engaged the military in a firefight in Cauayan town.
The encounter left five dead. Among those identified was Dingding, who, according to reports from security forces, had reportedly served in political and organizational roles within the movement’s Southeast Front structures in Negros, and two alleged NPA leaders.
“Another young Filipino is gone. Another family mourns. Another dream remains unfinished,” the task force said in a statement.
The NTF-ELCAC said it does not view the death of young individuals in armed encounters as a triumph, noting that Dingding, like many youth involved in civic and student causes, once carried aspirations and ideals that could have contributed positively to society.
“NTF-ELCAC believes that no Filipino death should ever be celebrated as a victory—least of all the death of a young, educated, and promising individual,” it said.
Publicly available information showed that Dingding had been active in student leadership circles and was associated with the University of the Philippines Cebu community.
The task force said he belonged to a generation of idealistic young Filipinos who entered advocacy spaces driven by a sincere desire to serve communities and pursue social change.
The agency also pointed to reports linking Dingding to individuals previously associated with alleged NPA activities in Negros. This was not to establish guilt by association or prejudice legal outcomes, but more on presenting a pattern of the left recruiting the youth and convincing them to move from activism and ideological immersion to underground work and armed struggle.
“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,” the group said.
NTF-ELCAC said Dingding could have pursued many paths in life — as a teacher, journalist, engineer, entrepreneur, public servant, or community leader. It urged families, schools, universities, and communities to work together in identifying early warning signs of recruitment and radicalization.
“Vince Francis Dingding must not become just another casualty statistic,” NTF-ELCAC further said, adding that his story should serve as “a painful national reminder that every wasted youth is a loss to the Filipino people.”