LUCENA CITY – The New People’s Army (NPA) operating in Quezon province on Tuesday claimed responsibility for the killing of a village chief in San Narciso town.
Cleo del Mundo, spokesperson of the NPA Apolonio Mendoza Command, said a rebel hit squad killed Ruben Carabido in the house of his sibling in Barangay Busok-Busokan around noontime Monday.
In her Facebook post on Tuesday afternoon, Del Mundo said Carabido was gunned down by NPA rebels while watching who among the tenants in one of the big estates he was overseeing would bring out coconuts without permission.
Del Mundo said Carabido was a “legitimate target” of the NPA as he was accused of maintaining armed goons to protect big landlords in the area in cahoots with the police and the military.
Del Mundo charged that Carabido was the alleged brains behind the harassment, intimidation and arrest of militant farmers in the towns of San Narciso and San Andres.
“Ang pamamarusa kay Ruben Carabido ay tugon ng rebolusyunaryong kilusan sa malaon nang kahilingan ng mamamayan na tapusin na ang pamemerwisyo sa kanila,” Del Mundo said.
Carabido, chief of Barangay Binay, was shot by a group of at least eight suspects using different firearms.
The victim was fatally hit in different parts of his body and died on the spot.
Police described the suspects as wearing “black shirts with CPP-NPA logo (hammer and sickle).”
CPP stands for Communist Party of the Philippines while NPA refers to New People’s Army, the CPP military wing.