HUMANE TREATMENT PRINCIPLE | 53IB Facilitates Burial of Killed NPA Rebel in Guipos, ZDS

The Philippine Army’s 53rd Infantry “Matapat” Battalion (53IB) facilitated the burial of a killed rebel James Cordero alias “Tito”, a remnant member of the defunct Main Regional Guerilla Unit (MRGU) of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army’s (CPP-NPA) Western Mindanao Regional Party Committee (WMRPC) who was killed in a clash against government security forces on April 27, 2021, at Barangay Datagan, Guipos, Zamboanga del Sur.

“Your Army ensures that the integrity of the victims of the NPA’s wrong ideologies would not experience the same misfortune in the hands of the heartless communist terrorists who used them out of personal motives,” 53IB Commanding Officer Lt. Col. Jo-ar Herrera said.

“We follow the principle of humane treatment in International Humanitarian Law (IHL), as it requires that those who fall into the hands of the enemy will be treated with respect for their dignity as human beings,” Lt. Col. Herrera added.

53IB Charlie Company Executive Commander 2Lt. Magno Relado Jr. led the team of Matapat Troopers who facilitated and attended the burial and blessing of the deceased.