Rebel's kin get financial support

KIDAPAWAN CITY -- The family of a communist rebel who was killed in an encounter in Maragusan in Compostela Valley province, will receive financial aid from the local chief executive of Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur, the military said.

Juanito Bustamante, alias Jun-Jun, was a resident of Barangay Zone-1 in Sta. Cruz town who left the village seven months ago to join the rebel movement in Maragusan.

Lt. Col. Medel Aguilar, spokesman for the 10th Infantry Division, said that when Bustamante left his village, none among his relatives thought he would die in a firefight.

Aguilar said the rebel used to work as a helper with a public utility jeep plying the Sta. Cruz-Digos City route. When the owner sold the jeep, Bustamante moved to Toril district, where he worked as a bamboo cutter.

Bustamante told his cousin -- one named Rolando -- that he would go to Manila on May 15, this year, to look for greener pastures.

His relatives heard nothing from him for seven months, until one day, he arrived in his hometown sealed in a coffin, according to Aguilar.

Bustamante died in an encounter with the Army's Scout Rangers last December 5.

Aguilar said the soldiers brought the rebel's body to the nearest funeral parlor in Maragusan and coordinated with the local police and the local government unit for its proper disposition.

Bustamante's body arrived in his hometown on December 8.

Sta. Cruz Mayor Joel Ray Lopez assures the family of the slain rebel of that the government will extend financial help to them and shoulder the burial expenses. (Malu Cadelina Manar)