MANILA, Philippines — A doctor who was red-tagged and her husband were killed by unknown motorcycle-riding gunmen in Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental on Tuesday night, said an activist group.
According to the Negros chapter of the human rights group Karapatan, Dr. Mary Rose Sancelan, and her husband Edwin were shot dead at Brgy. (village) Poblacion in Guihulngan City.
City police officers confirmed the incident, saying that it happened at around 5:30 p.m.
In their Facebook post, Karapatan Negros Island said Dr. Sancelan was the head of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) in the city, which handles the government response on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
According to Karapatan, the doctor was included in a supposed “hit list” by the anti-communist group Kagubak. Dr. Sancelan was supposedly identified as a target of an assassination on the allegation that she is the spokesperson of the Leonardo Panaligan Command of the New People’s Army in Central Negros.
“Together with her in the list are Atty. Anthony Trinidad and Heidie Malalay Flores who were killed in the past years,” Karapatan said.
The killing of the Sancelan couple is the latest spate of violence to hit Negros Island after Karapatan staffer Zara Alvarez was killed in Bacolod last August
READ: Negros-based activist killed in Bacolod – rights group Karapatan