Former NPA rebel now with military shot in Iligan City

ILIGAN CITY, Lanao del Norte, Philippines — A former member of the New People’s Army (NPA) who surrendered to the military last year was shot in Sitio Lemon in the hinterland village of Kalingan southwest of Iligan City at 6:30 pm on Saturday, Feb. 29.

Lt. Col. Dominggo Dulay, commanding officer of the 4th Mechanized Infantry Battalion, said Darwin Saparo, also known as Lawin, was visiting his poultry farm when NPA rebels chanced upon him and executed him.

Saparo, who was still in his early 30s, hailed from Talakag, Bukidnon but got married in Kalingan.

With the P50,000 cash aid he got after surrendering to the 51st Infantry Battalion in January last year, he started a small poultry farm in Kalingan, Dulay said.

“Sitio Lemon has only 15 households and based on witnesses’ accounts, Saparo was visiting his mini poultry, his livelihood after he surrendered. The armed rebels chanced upon him,” Dulay said, speaking partly in Filipino.

Dulay said Saparo was supposed to join an arc welding skills training with the Technical Education Skills Development Authority (Tesda) here in March.

He said four members of the NPA’s Platoon Uno of the North Central Mindanao Regional Committee executed him.

Dulay said the village council earlier declared the NPA as persona non grata. He also said they were preparing a case against Saparo’s killers.