• THERESA MAE DULMAN
The New People’s Army (NPA) has owned up to the killing of a farmer-caretaker in Barangay Basak, Cauayan, Negros Occidental Oct. 12.
Ka Andrea Guerrero, spokesperson for the Armando Sumayang Jr. Command of the Southwest Negros Guerrilla Front, said in a statement Oct. 14 that their revolutionary court handed down the death sentence on alias “Billy”.
“Billy” acted as an armed goon involved in land-grabbing disputes against local agricultural tenants, who have occupied the area since 1954, the NPA claimed.
He also participated in the July 2026 murder of a fellow farmer over a disputed portion of land in the area and continued to threaten nearby residents, it added.
Meanwhile, the Cauayan Municipal Police Station confirmed that the victim was confronted and shot by three armed individuals outside his residence, who then fled to unknown directions.
Police recovered empty shells of M16 and AK-47 rifles at the crime scene.
The same NPA unit also admitted to killing a 59-year-old farmer in Brgy. Yao-Yao, also in Cauayan town, Oct. 4.
They accused the victim of repeatedly raping a minor in 2024, and continuing the abuse in 2026. | TMD
