At the age of twelve, he is well-trained in handling firearms instead of holding a pen to write his school lessons.

 “Dayocdoc” (not his real name), is a child rescued by the military from the hands of the rebel group, New People’s Army (NPA), in Samar last Saturday.

“Dayocdoc” said he assumed the responsibility of an errand boy for NPA rebels after his recruitment to the movement two years ago.

“I collect rice and chicken from the village and bring it to the camp,” the boy said in Filipino.

He said his mother is already dead and his father has abandoned him and went to Manila.

With his situation, communist rebels easily convinced him to join the movement.

Dayocdoc said he is fascinated with guns and he had dreamed of becoming a soldier, but he became part of the wrong army.

Although he was taught how to handle guns, “Dayocdoc” said he never engaged in combat.

“I was told to go to the village during encounters,” he said.

He said he never witnessed an actual fighting, but he has witnessed the most horrible thing: a young NPA member being beheaded by their comrades.

He said he witnessed an NPA leader behead a 13-year-old comrade.

The boy said the victim was suspected by the rebel leader to have leaked information on the location of an NPA encampment, which was recently attacked by the military.

“They said it was a way of telling us not to follow what the child did. Never to give information to the enemy,” Dayocdoc said.

Back to school
 
His desire of going back to school and pursuing his dream of becoming a military man convinced him to go to the fold of the military.

On Tuesday, Dayocdoc was formally turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). The boy underwent a physical check up and stress debriefing.

The Samar provincial DSWD office said the recued child will be included in the government’s program for children in armed conflict, which has a P2-million budget.

The military unit in Samar, meanwhile, vowed to conduct follow up operations on the case in the hope of rescuing other more minors recruited by the leftist group.

“We condemn this act of using children as couriers and warriors,” said Lt. Col. Dionisio Miguel, commanding officer of the Philippine Army’s 34th Infantry Batallion.