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Last living HUK commander passes away a day before 93rd birthday


Simeona Punsalan-Tapang, a Filipino World War II veteran, passed away Tuesday, a day before her 93rd birthday, according to the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) on Facebook.

Tapang, also known as Kumander Guerrero and the last living commander of the Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa Hapon (HUKBALAHAP) before her death, succumbed to illness on June 30.

In a news release, The PVAO said Tapang served the guerrilla group as a captain of the Squadron No. 104 from November 1942 to December 1943 before being promoted to major in 1944 under the 1st Regiment, Second Battalion Staff, Regional Command No. 7.

She fought in the successful Battle of Mandili in Candaba, Pampanga, in 1944 and commanded her battalion in several skirmishes in Arayat, Pampanga.

Pampanga Gov. Lilia Pineda recognized her war efforts through a special citation during the Most Outstanding Kapampangan Awards (MOKA) night on December 11, 2011.

According to PVAO, the late HUK Supremo Chief Commander Luis Taruc described Tapang as "a big-bodied woman with a man's strength, fond of wearing a man's clothes, adept at handling an automatic rifle, and would command on the firing line."

Tapang told the PVAO's Hatid Kalinga Team last year that she wished "for the government to find and help her comrades who also fought for the country, especially those in dire circumstances.”

Tapang is survived by her daughter Ligaya, her grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Her remains are currently at their residence in Brgy. San Miguel, San Simon, Pampanga and will be interred on July 7.

Engr. Fernando Perez Javier, the Philippines' oldest World War II veteran, died on June 29, a day before Tapang, also due to a lingering illness
. He was 107 years old. —Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News

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