NPA beheads militiaman in Surigao del Sur – military

A militiaman was beheaded by his former comrades from the New People’s Army (NPA) in Surigao del Sur, the military said on Wednesday.

Mar Acevedo Bocales, a member of the Citizen Armed Force Geopgraphical Unit (CAFGU) from the Los Arcos Patrol Base of the 3rd Special Forces Battalion’s 9th Special Forces Company, was killed in Sitio Hagimitan in Bolhoon town last Monday, the Army’s 36th Infantry Battalion (IB) said in a statement.

CAFGUs are under the operational control of Army units.

The victim was a former communist rebel who surrendered with his firearm to the government last December 2016. He was married with three children.

“My brother was hog-tied at his back with numerous cuts in his body and his head severely mutilated and beheaded,” Bocales’ brother Renan was quoted as saying. “We recovered his head 5 meters away from his body and thrown away towards a cliff. He also has gunshot wounds in his chest. They really want him dead because they inflicted so much suffering to my brother.”

The victim was on an off-duty status when the incident happened.

It was alleged that the NPA, on several occasions, had threatened to give the “ultimate punishment” to those who are against them.

“It was inhumane and barbaric, which truly shows the real face of the NPA terrorist…,” said Lt. Col. Xerxes Trinidad, commanding officer of 36IB. “Rest assured that justice will be served and the full force of the law will catch up against the perpetrators.”            /kga