By Priam F. Nepomuceno
MANILA, (PNA) — Troopers of the Eastern Mindanao Command literally brought up from the dead a badly wounded New People’s Army (NPA) fighter whom his companions left to die shortly an encounter in Barangay Aliwagwag, Cateel town, Davao Oriental last Oct. 1.
Capt. Alberto Caber, the unit’s spokesperson, identified the rescued rebel as Kim Gargar, reportedly a UP Diliman professor.
Recovered from the latter were an M-16 automatic rifle, assorted landmines and subversive documents.
Killed in the said encounter was a NPA leader identified only as “Ka Ryan”.
Gargar was found unconscious by troopers of the 67th Infantry Battalion who were conducting pursuit operations against the former’s retreating comrades.
67th Infantry Battalion commander Lt. Col. Krishnamurti A. Mortela said that Gargar was found unconscious while clutching a rifle 200 meters away from the encounter site.
“First aid was given to him by the troops of 67th Infantry Battalion before he was brought to Davao Oriental Provincial Hospital,” he added.
Initial reports revealed that Gargar was a physics professor in UP Diliman from 2000 to 2003; Don Mariano University in Cagayan de Oro City 2003 to 2005; PUP Sta. Mesa in 2006 to 2007; Mapua University year 2007 to 2008 and was a doctorate scholar in chronological Biology in University of Groningen, Netherlands.
He disclosed that he helped CPP-NPA founder Joma Sison in the production of several books aimed to exploiting the countryside.
He joined the NPAs in Compostela Valley Province in 2012 while his wife works as writer of Bulatlat.com.
Gargar was amazed at how he was treated well by the soldiers.