- One armed Communist remnant reportedly threatened the child by pointing a rifle at her and, at gunpoint, told her they will be back to finish the fight and ‘take vengeance’ on ‘traitors of the revolution’
- “Our soldiers are not only trained for combat but also to protect those who are defenseless. PFC Matutina’s courage and compassion embody the spirit of the Masaligan Troopers, ” 79th IB commander, Lieutenant Colonel Arnel Calaoagan says
BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines – The Army unit in the north that crippled Communist terrorists in its main extortion corridor will recommend the grant of an award to one of its soldiers who charged headlong in the middle of a firefight to snatch a teenaged girl from what could have been certain death in a town more than two hours north of this capital city.
Army Lt. Dan Carlo Samoza told DNX the unit will recommend to the Third Infantry Division the award of a medal for Private First Class Hedges Matutina who ran headlong into an active encounter site to snatch the girl, aged 13, from what could have been certain death.
“He did so without any regard for his life or safety,” Samoza, the civil military officer of the unit, added.
After-battle accounts and testimonies from fellow soldiers showed Matutina saved the child as the firefight raged between a rifle unit of 79th and a handful of remnants of the dismantled Northern Negros Front of the New People’s Army in Calatrava, a town more than two hours north of here.
Samoza added the child was threatened by one of the Communist remnants who pointed a rifle at her before the fighting broke out on 6 October 2024.
The rebel reportedly told the child at gunpoint that they will be back to exact revenge on ‘traitors of the revolution.’
The child was one of those living in the upland community of Agtatahor Uno, a former rebel-influenced area where residents have been telling on the rebels who continue to force them to give food or money despite their impovershed conditions in the mountain village of Macasilao.
Samoza pointed out that when the rebels started firing at the soldiers who were chasing them after the first clash, Matutina saw the child still standing outside their house.
As the 79th IB unit maneuvered away from the clump of houses to draw away rebel fire, Matutina plunged headlong into the hail of bullets to snatch the girl whom he brought to a safe place.
“Risking his life, PFC Matutina successfully grabbed the child while returning fire againts the NPA rebel and securing her safety amidst the unfolding chaos. His quick action and selflessness serve as a testament to the Battalion’s commitment in protecting civilians, especially vulnerable children, from the violence inflicted by insurgent forces, ” the 79th IB said in a separate post on its Facebook page.
Unit commander, Lt. Col. Arnel P. Calaoagan praised Matutina and the rest of the Platoon members for bravery and valor: “Our soldiers are not only trained for combat but also to protect those who are defenseless. PFC Matutina’s courage and compassion embody the spirit of the Masaligan Troopers.”
