By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – Two persons were slain in separate shooting incidents in Cauayan town and Cadiz City, Negros Occidental last Thursday.
In Cauayan town, Julie Casumpang, 60, of Barangay Camalandaan was gunned down by five unidentified armed men believed to be members of the Special Partisan Unit (SParU) of the New People’s Army (NPA) at the said village around 4:10 p.m.
According to Major Lowell Garinganao, town police chief, the victim was a former member of the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU) in 1980, and a former chief village watchman.
The CAFGU is considered the “irregular auxiliary force of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.”
He was reportedly part of the NPA hit list, the police chief said, adding that they are eyeing the incident as insurgency-related because of the manner of the killing.
The victim was tending to his carabao when the perpetrators armed with high-powered firearms attacked. He succumbed to two gunshot and four stab wounds.
Police recovered from the scene empty shells of M14 and M16 ammunitions.
In Cadiz City, Jose Renante Fernandez, 44, of Barangay Daga, was also gunned down by unidentified motorcycle-riding men at the said village.
Police records indicated that the victim was riding a motorcycle when he was shot in the head. Fernandez was rushed to a hospital, where he was declared dead.
Police recovered from the scene two ammunition cartridges of still unknown caliber.
