DAVAO CITY – New People’s Army (NPA) rebels may consider the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) as their enemies and killers, but not for this 23-year-old former communist leader who now has a newfound appreciation for soldiers.
Daniel Moses Dellosa alias Ka Axel, secretary of the Guerilla Front 2 Sub-Regional Committee of the NPA’s Southern Mindanao Regional Command, sustained a gunshot wound in the leg after his group figured in an encounter with government troops in Sitio Barigyan, Golden Valley Mabini, Davao de Oro on Dec. 19, 2021.
Dellosa, in an interview with John Paul Seniel Reports aired online on January 26 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKBQJhEzzMk), said he thought it was his end as military troopers surrounded him.
Wounded and abandoned by his comrades, Dellosa initially tried to hide from the soldiers but eventually realized he still wanted to live. Hearing the calm voices of the soldiers, he decided to show himself to his pursuers and risk being finished off.
Much to his surprise, though, the soldiers saved him — gave first aid and brought him to a hospital for treatment.
“I thought they will kill me so I hid behind the bushes. I just listened to them [military] while they were talking… I was just around, they did not see me,” he said.
Comforting and assuring
“Don’t worry, you will live. We will revive you. Just don’t close your eyes, don’t sleep,” these are the words Dellosa heard from the troops whom he thought were rebels’ enemies.
In a video provided by the 10th Infantry Division (10ID), Dellosa was seen being rescued by troopers from the 48th Infantry Battalion.
The troops gave words of encouragement as they tried to save him.
By then, Dellosa said, he was assured of his life as the soldiers did all they can to save him, describing them as “seemingly calm individuals.”
“I told them, I was wounded and they shouted that I have to go down, so I crawled down to where they were, but I was still nervous then. I said to myself that if I don’t go near them, I’ll be dead too, and without hesitation, I entrusted my life to them,” Dellosa said.
He said he felt the sincerity of the soldiers who were trying to save him and felt that they wanted him to survive.
“I felt that it was true. I expected something different at first because I was against them, I don’t know what they will do to me,” he added.
Trusting his instincts, Dellosa said he came near the soldiers and was told that he will live.
Abandoned by comrades
Dellosa admitted he felt bad when his comrades abandoned him during the encounter.
“I am hurt when they left me. My colleagues can still rescue me if they want to,” he said.
Based on the data from the Army’s 10th Infantry Division, Dellosa joined the Communist Party of the Philippines – NPA when he was 18 years old, a third-year BS Applied Physics student at the University of the Philippines Diliman, and a member of the League of Filipino Students.
Delosa, who hails from Sorsogon, stayed with the armed group for four years and two months.
His wish is to meet his saviors and personally thank them for giving him a new lease on life.
The Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.