[InterAksyon] A clash between the New People's Army and Philippine soldiers in Gingoog City Saturday afternoon left several women and children in Alagatan village traumatized. Gem,who asked that her full name not be revealed, said, "My 4-year-old daughter kept on saying 'God help us, please God help us' while she cried. As the gunfight ensued, we thought we were about to die as we crawled on the bamboo floor. I held my two children tightly and just prayed for our lives with our neighbors who were with us.
"The frightening part was that the NPA rebels were hiding underneath the bamboo floor where we were. If the soldier on the CVO outpost had fired back, I am sure we would have all been dead. The soldier just shouted to [the rebels to] let the civilians get out of the house until the time he [the soldier] surrendered to save us," said another woman who survived the encounter.
From their accounts, it appears that Pfc Adones Jess Lupida, the soldier who avoided firing at the NPA militants hiding beneath the civilians' bamboo floor, was eventually taken by the communist guerillas as a prisoner of war. The residents said Lupida is their hero because he surrendered to save their lives.
Residents said there were 15 people, including five children and two pregnant women in the house when the incident happened. All of those who survived while hiding in the house said they were grateful to the soldier who surrendered to the NPA in exchange for their lives.
Greg, who requested that his real name not be revealed, said, "For us he is a hero, he exchanged his life for our safety. He could have killed several NPAs from his vantage point above the CVO outpost, but he did not fire back or even throw a grenade towards the house."