HANNAH JAY CESISTA
“I hope my child is the last victim of NPA recruitment.”
This is the message of Mr. Eutropio Cesista, the father of Hannah Cesista, one of the slain members of the New People’s Army (NPA) in an encounter in Purok Matin-ao 2, Barangay Campagao, Bilar, Bohol on February 23, 2024.
According to Mr. Cesista, Hannah was a former student of the University of the Philippines Cebu who was recruited by legal organizations affiliated with the Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front (CPP-NDF).
He said he did not know that his child had joined the armed struggle of the NPA until he received the news that she was one of the killed in the firefight in Bohol.
“It hurts so much to see your child like this. I did not expect her to do this. I did not expect her to end up in this situation,” said Mr. Cesista, who is seeking justice for his child.
Meanwhile, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) said that it is sad and painful for a parent to see that the CPP-NPA-NDF is using legal organizations to lure students and youth to fight for the wrong ideologies that cause their deception and death.
“These legal organizations are used by the CPP-NPA-NDF as front organizations for their recruitment, propaganda, and fundraising activities. They use the issues of society to pretend that they care for the people, but the truth is that their goal is to overthrow the government and establish a communist state,” NTF-ELCAC said in a statement.
NTF-ELCAC added that they continue to call on parents and youth to choose the organizations that they will join. Do not be blinded by the sweet promises of the fake groups that only have their own interests in mind.
“The youth are the hope of the nation. Let us not let their lives and futures be wasted in meaningless battles. Let us not let their dreams and potentials be lost in the wrong paths. Let us not let them be victims of the CPP-NPA-NDF that has done nothing but sow violence and chaos in our country,” the NTF-ELCAC said.
CREMATED
The remains of Hanna Jay Cesista, a bar passer who was killed in a clash between government forces and suspected rebels in Bohol, were cremated on Wednesday, February 28, 2024.
Cesista, 26, was one of the five alleged members of the New People’s Army (NPA) who died in a firefight with police and military personnel in Barangay Campagao, Bilar town on February 23, 2024.
Joint Army-PNP authorities were serving a warrant of arrest against Domingo Compoc alias Silong, a top NPA leader in the region, when the encounter ensued.
Cesista’s father, Eutropio Cesista, claimed her body from a funeral parlor in Tagbilaran City, Bohol on Saturday, February 24, 2024.
He said he had no anger towards the government but felt a little resentment towards the group that his daughter joined.
Cesista was the seventh young activist who joined the armed group and was killed in a clash with government troops since 2016, according to the Visayas Command (VisCom) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
Eutropio said he hoped that his daughter’s death would be the last one that would be victimized by the NPA with a different agenda.
Cesista’s cremated remains were brought to Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes in Junquera Street, Barangay Kamagayan, Cebu City. They will be transported to Catubig town, Northern Samar, her hometown.
Cesista was a graduate of the University of San Carlos (USC) College of Law and passed the 2022 Bar Examinations. She was also a former student activist and a paralegal for human rights cases.
Kabataan Partylist Defends Atty. Hannah Cesista
Kabataan Partylist issued a statement on Saturday, defending Hannah Cesista, a former lawyer who joined the revolutionary movement, and calling her a revolutionary hero who chose to serve the masses.
The statement came after the Philippine National Police (PNP) announced that Cesista was among the 5 rebels killed in a clash with government forces in Bilar, Bohol.
The PNP claimed that Cesista was a high-ranking member of the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), and that she was involved in several attacks against the military and the police.
The PNP also alleged that Cesista was “manipulated” and “influenced” by the CPP-NPA to abandon her legal career and join the armed struggle.
However, Kabataan Partylist refuted these allegations and said that Cesista made a “thoughtful and deliberate decision” to embrace the path of revolution for a more significant purpose.
The youth group said that Cesista’s motivation stemmed from a “deep-rooted desire to serve the interests of the masses, transcending the traditional practice of law within the judicial system.”
The group added that Cesista’s allegiance to the revolutionary movement was a “conscious choice, driven by the profound belief that defending the poor and oppressed requires actions that go beyond the formalities of a legal setting.”
The group also said that Cesista’s dedication to the revolutionary cause went beyond superficial judgments and that her commitment served a purpose that was larger than herself – one that sought to bring about genuine change and justice for the marginalized.
The Kabataan Partylist urged the public to respect Cesista’s conscious decision and individual agency and to recognize her as a revolutionary hero who sacrificed her life for the people.
The group also called for an independent investigation into the circumstances of Cesista’s death and the other rebels, and demanded that the government stop its “bloody and brutal” counterinsurgency campaign that has resulted in numerous human rights violations.
The militant partylist also expressed its condolences to the families and friends of Cesista and the other slain rebels, and vowed to continue their legacy of fighting for national democracy and social justice.