• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
New People’s Army (NPA) rebels have been tagged by the police as the suspects behind the murder of a councilman in Barangay Tambad, Cauayan, Negros Occidental on Nov. 3.
PLt. Col. Norberto Barniso, town police chief, said they have established the identities of four of the six suspected rebels, whom they will charge in court for the killing of the village official.
He noted that the six suspects, among them a woman, were armed with high-powered firearms, based on the testimony of a witness.
The victim succumbed to gunshot wounds in the chest and abdomen.
PBrig. Gen. Arnold Thomas Ibay, director of Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR), strongly condemned the brutal killing, describing it as “a cowardly act that has no place in a peaceful and democratic society.”
“We condemn in the strongest terms this violent attack against an elected barangay official. Rest assured, the PRO-NIR will exhaust all resources to ensure that justice is served swiftly and that those responsible are held accountable,” Ibay said.
A special investigation task group was created by the PRO-NIR to investigate the shooting incident.
The Armando Sumayang Jr. Command-NPA Southwest Negros Guerilla Front claimed responsibility for the death of the barangay official in a statement issued on Nov. 8. | GB
