The Communist Party of the Philippines’ Panay Regional Committee honored one of the region’s most distinguished revolutionary leaders, Roberto Moises Cabales (Comrade William), who was killed by the military and police on the night of October 5 in Barangay Coto, Lambunao, Iloilo. State forces claimed that Cabales and his companion Mateo Suarez (Comrade Badong) “fought back” when allegedly being served an arrest warrant. Villagers denied such an encounter occurred.

In his youth, Cabales studied to become a doctor. For several decades, he served the Filipino masses and worked with the Regional Committee in leading the revolutionary movement in Panay. Cabales was a political prisoner in 1999.

Meanwhile, Suarez was a former NPA member who took leave a few years ago for his physical condition. Afterward, he remained loyal and deeply motivated to assist and contribute to the revolutionary movement. Suarez also became a political prisoner in 2012.