By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – The Guihulngan City Police Station in Negros Oriental is conducting an in-depth investigation on the deaths of five civilians allegedly at the hands of suspected New People’s Army (NPA) at Barangays Trinidad and Linantuyan in the said city last Friday.
The victims were identified as Ronelo Quirante Sr., 56; Roger Fat, 46; Rodrigo Lubay, 46, and his wife Celerina, 44; and Gretchel Ledesma, 37.
Police Executive Master Sergeant Jerome Delara, chief investigator, said the first fatality was Fat who was preparing to pasture his livestock when gunned down around 5 a.m. at Sitio Panagtugas, Barangay Trinidad.
During that time, a separate shooting incident also transpired at Sitio Taklongan, Barangay Linantuyan, killing Ledesma who was walking along with her son to the barangay proper to submit school modules.
After 30 minutes, another shooting occurred at Sitio Lower Budlasan, Barangay Trinidad, killing the Lubay couple.
It was followed by another shooting at Sitio Agit in the said village around 6 a.m. claiming the life of Quirante, who was pasturing his cow a few meters away from his house.
Delara said that about 12 unidentified armed men were allegedly behind the gun attack at Barangay Trinidad, while four other perpetrators were responsible for the shooting at Barangay Linantuyan.
Delara said they are digging deeper as to the real motive behind these series of shooting incidents.
He said they received information based on the statements of the victims’ families that the perpetrators were believed to be members of the NPA or its Special Partisan Unit (SParU).
“Murag napagkamalan sila na informant,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Army and the city government condemned the killings of these civilians.
Colonel Inocencio Pasaporte, commander of 303rd Infantry Brigade (IBde), said the victims were suspected by the NPAs as informants that led to the major setback they suffered during the encounter at Sitio Agit, Barangay Trinidad on March 23, 2021.
During the March encounter, 10 rebels were killed in an encounter between the 62nd Infantry Battalion (IB) and the NPA.
Pasaporte said Fat and Quirante were reportedly members of the NPA, while the other victims had no connection or affiliation with the rebel group, although there were reports that some of them were allegedly supporting the NPA.
Pasaporte said that it only showed the terroristic side of the NPA, as they could even kill their comrades based on false information.
Pasaporte said the Army condemned the acts of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-NPA, as he called on the people of Guihulngan to remain steadfast in their goal of ending the CPP-NPA’s violence against the innocent civilians in the locality.
Pasaporte assured the residents that the Army will continue to ensure peace and development in the area, as he noted that the insurgency situation in the area is manageable, although there are still traces of these rebels.
Lieutenant Colonel Melvin Flores, 62nd IB commander, expressed their sincerest sympathies to the families of the victims.
Flores said the families of the victims were left traumatized by the barbaric acts of the terrorist group.
For his part, Mayor Carlo Jorge Joan also condemned the murder of the civilians killed inside their homes.
“This is simply too much hardship and pain inflicted to the people of Sitio Agit, Barangay Trinidad. Leave us in peace,” the mayor added.
He called on all the people of Guihulngan and the law enforcement agencies to unite against these atrocities.
