A 23-years old good-looking “cultural artist” successfully ‘groomed’ and radicalized by the legal fronts of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) would be facing murder and frustrated murder charges in the aftermath of a bloody clash between the Philippine Army and the terrorist New People’s Army (NPA) in Occidental Mindoro last March 29 that killed an officer and wounded two of his men.
In a statement on April 1, COL. Michael Aquino, Spokesperson, 2nd Infantry ‘Jungle Fighter’ Division, said Charlize ‘Ka Kaye/Ceeka’ Garzon, would be charged for the death of Capt. Dean Buen Oyando, an officer of the elite Scout Rangers, and the wounding of two other soldiers who were not identified and now undergoing medical treatment.
Garzon would also be slapped with illegal possession of firearms and explosives, the latter also a non-bailable offense.
The military said they arrested Garzon after she was left behind by her comrades with her M16 rifle and other personal belongings after the clash in the vicinity of Sitio Salafay, Barangay Monteclaro, San Jose, Mindoro Occidental.
The military also claimed recovering improvised explosive device (IED) components from the encounter site.
Quick to identify their own
While the military declined to give details on Garzon “to protect her dignity,” Karapatan, a known CPP front organization masquerading as a ‘human rights organization,’ immediately flashed Garzon’s picture in social media, wearing a graduation toga and demanded that she be released immediately.
Although it was not clear if Garzon finished her education and where, Karapatan claimed that Garzon is a “cultural artist” and a member of ‘Panday Sining,’ which is another known CPP front organization targeting the youth sector.
The group of Oyando of the 5th Scout Rangers Battalion and the 68th Infantry ‘Kaagapay’ Battalion, 203rd ‘Bantay Kapayapaan’ Brigade, is on security patrol in the area when they clashed with an undetermined number of NPA terrorists lasting some 20 minutes.
The firefight occurred on the day the NPA, the armed wing of the CPP, is celebrating its 57th anniversary.
The NPA was founded on March 29, 1969, inside the sprawling Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac province from the remnants of the ‘HMB’ (Hukbong Mapagpalaya ng Bayan) of the old PKP (Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas), with the support of then senator Benigno ‘Ninoy’ Aquino Jr,
Earlier, on March 24, the same operating units along with the 1st Infantry ‘Always First’ Battalion, also clashed with the NPA in Sitio Danlog, Bgy. Monteclaro.
The 15-minutes firefight resulted to the recovery of one M653 rifle, one short magazine loaded with seven rounds of live ammunition, a rifle scope, and a backpack containing personal belongings. There was no casualty on the government side, the military said.
Ex-SOLCOM chief bares CPP-NPA ‘MO’
Former Southern Luzon (SOLCOM) area commander, retired LTGEN. Antonio ‘Jun’ Parlade, in his social media post in reaction to the clash last March 30, said members of Panday Sining are clandestinely trained in the manufacture of “Molotov bombs,” a form of IED.
He also revealed that recruiting young and good-looking individuals like Garzon is one of the ways by which the terrorist organization is enticing more people to join its violent, but doomed, armed struggle.
Parlade also claimed the NPA managed to turn Bgy. Monteclaro, a remote village, into their stronghold and a base of recruitment and where fresh recruits like Garzon and others before her are initiated to the terrorist movement through a “tour of duty” (under the innocent description like ‘exposure,’ ‘social research’ or ‘immersion’—Editor).
“Lucky” to be captured alive
Garzon can still consider herself “lucky” for surviving her ordeal. She is presently detained at the San Jose Municipal Police Office while charges against her are being prepared.
In several posts of Karapatan in its social media page, the group also presented Mayla Garzon, Charlize’s mother, calling on the military to release her.
Mayla also claimed her daughter told her she was “tortured” by her custodians but did not specify what exactly was done to Charlize.
A Karapatan “paralegal” also tried to place Charlize as being far from the encounter site, claiming she was already in government custody some three days before.
It can be recalled that on New Year’s Day, another bloody clash occurred in Sitio Mamara, Bgy. Cabacao, Abra de Ilog, Mindoro Occidental, between elements of the 203rd Brigade and the NPA.
The clash left a student from the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM), dead while another student, a Fil-Am from the United States, was rescued several days later.
While the military initially declined to name the fatality, the National Democratic Front (NDF) that groups all CPP terrorist organizations in the country identified the victim of their terror-grooming as Jerlyn Rose Doydora, a daughter of an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who was enrolled in the PLM as a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education Major in English student.
She was identified from her personal IDs found after the clash.
Unknown to her family, Doydora had been recruited to the Kabataan Partylist for grooming as a member of the NPA.
NDF-Mindoro Spokesperson Ma. Patricia Andal (a pseudonym) said Doydora was part of a research group from Metro Manila, “integrating” themselves with the locals, and sought an interview with indigenous people and the NPA.”
The PLM, however, debunked this claim saying in a statement on January 5 that “it has no prior knowledge” of any research or other related activities that were approved or endorsed by the university in the area.
On January 8, about a week later, patrolling soldiers found Chantal Anicoche trapped in a hole near the encounter site.
Hungry, emaciated and traumatized, Anicoche was enticed to visit Mindoro for an “immersion” with the Mangyan minority in the island.
A report from the Baltimore Banner on January 18 said Anicoche, 24, is a graduate of BS Psychology at the University of Maryland and came to the Philippines in December 2025.
The military has agreed to release Anicoche after her debriefing and she flew back to the US mainland on January 30, the 2ND ID said in a statement.
Anicoche executed an affidavit that her stay with the military is voluntary that negated the CPP’s claim that she was under duress during her period of detention.