The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) bestowed its ‘highest honors’ on a top-ranking New People’s Army (NPA) leader killed during fierce military encounters in Agusan del Sur recently.
In a tribute on Tuesday, the CPP Central Committee extolled Julia Cagadas-Lastimosa, 66, known as ‘Ka Rida,’ as a ‘revolutionary hero.’
Cagadas-Lastimosa, who served as the secretary of the North Central Mindanao Regional Committee, died in combat in Barangay Bakingking, Esperanza, on September 12, alongside three other NPA rebels.
‘For having dedicated their lives to the cause of national liberation and true democracy, they are all heroes of the Filipino people,’ the CPP said in a statement. ‘Their names are now forever etched in the walls of the people’s pantheon.’
Military accounts indicate the four NPA members were killed after days of operations that began on September 10, following tips from concerned residents about the presence of armed groups. Troops from the 26th Infantry Battalion initially engaged the rebels near Palili Creek in Barangay Bakingking.
The clashes escalated two days later when the 1st Special Forces Battalion and blocking forces from the 8th Infantry Battalion intercepted the fleeing guerrillas. The running gun battles resulted in the deaths of the four rebels, while three others surrendered and yielded their firearms.
The military credited the successful operations to community cooperation, noting the offensive prevented the armed group from re-establishing a stronghold in the region.
Before joining the NPA, Cagadas-Lastimosa was a leftist organizer involving the youth, workers, urban poor communities, and farmers.
‘The sacrifice of Ka Rida and other revolutionary fighters will only strengthen the resolve of the Filipino people to wage a just war in defense of their land and the country’s patrimony, and to attain their aspiration for genuine national freedom and democracy,’ the CPP statement read.
A native of Barangay Bugo in Cagayan de Oro City, Cagadas-Lastimosa joined the revolutionary movement in 1979 at age 19.
She was imprisoned twice – notably escaping in 1989 by swimming across the Cagayan River – before being elected to the CPP’s Central Committee in 2016 and elevated to its Political Bureau in 2024.
Following the encounters, the military transported the bodies to a funeral home in Esperanza before releasing them to their families.