CAMP GERONA, Murcia, Negros Occidental – A hacienda owner and his driver were killed in an ambush staged by New People’s Army in Barangay Minapasok, Calatrava, Negros Occidental on Thursday morning/June 22, 2017 6:50 O’clock.
According to a witness, the victim identified as Bebing Lumayno, owner of sugar cane plantations at Barangay Bug-ang, Toboso and Barangay Minapasok together with his driver identified as Danilo Braga was on his way to a sugar plantation in Minapasok on board his Isuzu D-Max pick-up when fired several times by more or less twelve NPAs. The assailants immediately fled from the crime scene towards Barangay Cambayobo while boisterously shouted “Mabuhay ang NPA!” (Long live NPA!), leaving the lifeless bodies of the victims, witness added. Meanwhile, LTC Darell Bañez, Commander of the Army’s 62nd Infantry Battalion that covers Northern Negros including the municipality of Calatrava immediately dispatched troops in response to a text message from a concerned civilian regarding the presence of armed men believed to be members of the New People’s Army at Sitio Mahusay, Barangay Cambayobo, Calatrava. As they approached the reported area at about 10:30 O’clock, the troops encountered at least twelve (12) NPAs of Squad 3, SDG Galaxy Platoon under @ Saggy. After a 15-minute firefight, the enemy withdrew towards different directions.
Recovered from the encounter site were one cal. 45 pistol, hand grenade, NPA flags, war materials and subversive documents with high intelligence value. With these developments, LTC Bañez believes that the two incidents are connected and the killing of Lumayno was a part of the CPP/NPA’s desperate move to sow fear to the masses specially, land owners and force them to yield to their extortion demands. LTC Bañez condemned the killing of the victims as a clear violation of Human Rights. He also tagged the CPP/NPA as anti-development, anti-people, anti-morals, anti-spirituals and anti-peace, and that their mere presence already creates physical and psychological fear on the people. “The tip off from the civilians only manifest that they are already tired of the CPP-NPA’s extortion activities and terroristic acts.” LTC Bañez said. He also called upon the people to do the same courageous act of reporting the presence of the Communist Terrorists to put an end to the communist insurgency in the area. (Eunice Samonte)