NPA confirms killing 3 persons in Negros Occidental

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines — A command of the New People’s Army on Sunday claimed responsibility for the killing of three persons in northern Negros Occidental whom it tagged as “counter-revolutionary.”

It also denied allegations that the NPA fighters were goons of Escalante Mayor Melecio Yap Jr.

The Roselyn Pelle Command of the Northern Negros Guerilla Front, in a two-page statement signed by its spokesperson Cecil Estrella, admitted to the assassination of PO1 Bejein Tanguan and Joseph Lutrago in Esclanate City on April 1 and militiaman Eduardo Laguna in Toboso in March.

The killing of Lutrago, who was a supporter of defeated Escalante mayoral candidate Santiago Barcelona, was earlier alleged to be politically motivated.

But Estrella said the revolutionary court of the people meted the death penalty on the three as “legitimate military targets” for being active intelligence combat forces of the military.

According to Estrella, the NPA fighters are not goons of any politician, and do not allow themselves to be dictated upon by politicians.

It was not Yap who dictated upon the NPA to kill their “counter revolutionary” targets in Escalante, Estrella added.

He also said accusations that Yap was responsible for feeding the NPA was a big insult to the revolutionary movement.

Estrella also scored the Army and police for allegedly using men to pose as NPA men surrendering to the law in their psychological warfare and black propaganda against the NPA.