Vince Francis “Ding” Dingding, a former student leader at the University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu, had the potential to develop transformative software for Filipinos. However, discouraged by low wages in the tech sector, he made a bold decision in 2018 to leave his corporate career and join the New People’s Army (NPA) to pursue his ideals more fiercely.
Dingding was among the five rebels killed in an encounter with government troops in Barangay Abaca, Cauayan, Negros Occidental, on Saturday, May 16.
In a statement on Tuesday, May 19, the Apolinario Gatmaitan Command described Dingding as one of five “valiant Red fighters” who died “in the cause of liberating the Negrosanon masses from severe exploitation and oppression.”
Ka Maoche Legislador, the group’s spokesperson, said Dingding initially joined the underground movement through a “Tour of Duty” in 2018 before becoming a full-time NPA fighter two months later.
“Disillusioned by the meager wages of the corporate tech sector, Ka Moymoy walked away from his job at a foreign company,” the group said. “Instead of using his problem-solving mindset to climb the corporate tech ladder, he chose to program something far more impactful—systemic social change.”
The rebel group identified Dingding by the aliases “Ka Poy,” “Ka Moymoy,” and “Ka Cat,” and said he eventually became secretary of the Southwest Negros Guerrilla Front.
“Ka Moymoy forged deep, unbreakable bonds with the masses, particularly the peasantry and the youth. In the communities where he lived with, he spent his days teaching both children and agricultural workers how to read and write, raising local literacy rates,” portion of the statement read. “He was also fiercely hands-on in resolving feudal disputes wherever his deployment took him.”
Before joining NPA
Before joining the armed movement, Dingding was known as a student activist and campus leader in UP Cebu, where he graduated in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.
He served as 2nd Year representative from 2013 to 2014, councilor from 2014 to 2015, and vice chairperson of the UP Cebu Student Council from 2015 to 2016.
He also campaigned for accessible and free education and opposed the K-12 program, the Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program, the Pork Barrel system, and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).
The rebel group said Dingding immersed himself in marginalized communities even during college and later worked closely with peasants and youth in Negros, teaching literacy and helping settle disputes in rural communities.
However, the military gave a different timeline of when Dingding allegedly joined the underground movement.
Brigadier General Jason Jumawan told reporters that Dingding joined the NPA immediately after graduating from college in late 2016, contrary to the NPA’s claim that he became a full-time fighter only in 2018.
According to Jumawan, Dingding was already assigned to the Northern Negros Front in 2017 as a political instructor and member of the Komiteng Hukom Tagapagpaganap (KHT).
From 2017 to 2020, he was reportedly transferred to the Southwest Front, before being moved to the NPA’s Regional Striking Force from 2020 to 2024.
Prior to the May 16 encounter, Jumawan said Dingding had been operating in both the Southeast and Southwest fronts in southern Negros Occidental.
“He was the doctrine or brain of the NPA, who orders or decides whom to kill and whose properties will be destroyed by the rebels,” Jumawan alleged. “Yes, he is no ordinary.”
The military official also said that the group of Dingding was responsible for the killings of 26 civilians since 2025, accused of being military spies.
Despite the military’s allegations, friends and former colleagues remembered Dingding as humble, cheerful, and committed to social causes and youth activism.
No longer interested?
Meanwhile, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) posted a handwritten letter from Dingding’s parents, Romulo and Rica, requesting that all matters related to their son’s death be coordinated through their barangay captain to spare the family from further distress.
The family also said Dingding’s mother is battling colon cancer and has been advised to avoid stress.
In the postscript of the letter, the parents wrote: “We decided that we will no longer claim his remains in Negros Occidental.”
The most recent encounter in the province occurred nearly a month after a series of armed clashes in Barangay Salamanca, Toboso, a northern Negros town. In those clashes, 19 people lost their lives.
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) confirmed that 10 of the dead were NPAs, while rights groups identified the other nine as civilians, including a journalist, researchers, and two Filipino-American peasant workers.
The military, however, repeatedly denied these claims, insisting that all the individuals were NPAs.*
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, maintains a personal blog on Medium, and is the communications officer of Hope Builders Organization Negros Island.