Mourning while recruiting is an insult to the tragic death of Dee Supelanas

May 1, 2025

The death of Jhon Isidor “Dee” Supelanas, a University of the Philippines Cebu alumna and former Kabataan Partylist Cebu spokesperson, in an armed encounter in Kabankalan City on April 27, 2025, is a tragic and brutal result of the Communist Party of the Philippines’ (CPP) systematic recruitment of youth and students into the New People’s Army (NPA). ​

Kabataan Partylist can no longer deny or distance itself from this reality. Supelanas is not the first—nor, tragically, likely the last—of its members to be led down a path that ends in violence. Mourning the death of a promising youth such as Supelanas but continuing to endorse an ideology that radicalizes and recruits young people into the armed rebellion is not just hypocritical but also a betrayal of the youth they say they represent.​

Statements from the so-called legal democratic organizations painted the death of Supelanas as state-sponsored terrorism, while simultaneously calling for the advancement of "people's war" and glorifying the NPA as "freedom fighters." This duplicity is the kind of double speak we have come to expect from the youth organizations under Kabataan Partylist. They condemn the tragic consequences of armed conflict while stubbornly endorsing the very ideology that sustains it.​

They consistently cry foul over "red-tagging," yet in the same breath call for the "advancement of people's war" and romanticize the deaths of their members recruited to the NPA. They exploit the legitimate concerns of vulnerable sectors, especially the youth, capitalizing on their idealism to further a violent agenda.​

The fact that Supelanas was a student at the University of the Philippines in Cebu once again brings to the forefront the persistent claim that NPA recruitment does not occur within universities. This disinformation has been thoroughly debunked by the testimonies of former rebels and grieving families. However, we must remember that universities are not the enemy; rather, it is the CPP-NPA-NDF, which deliberately infiltrates campuses to prey on idealistic and passionate students.

We urge the youth to pursue genuine activism that promotes nation-building and rejects the CPP-NPA-NDF's armed insurgency and violent extremism. Be vigilant of the double-speak of organizations that claim to champion your rights. Recognize that while they reject programs such as ROTC or the help of the security sector in maintaining peace and order in colleges and universities, they have no qualms in romanticizing the senseless deaths of countless of their members after joining the NPA.​

The NTF-ELCAC reaffirms its commitment to respect and uphold constructive activism and its mandate against exploitation and deception. We will continue to work alongside communities, universities, educators, and student leaders to end the communist armed conflict, expose recruitment networks, and protect our youth from being turned into casualties of a false revolution.​

Undersecretary Ernesto C Torres Jr

Executive Director

NTF ELCAC