BY MA. THERESA LADIAO
NEGROS Occidental – A 52-year-old farmer was fatally shot by a group of armed men who allegedly identified themselves as members of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Sitio Catogisan, Barangay Bagunbon, San Carlos City in this province.
The victim identified as alias “Brito” was a resident of the area and reportedly affiliated with the Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPA-ABB), now called Kapatiran, according to Police Major Ryan Villasario, deputy chief of the San Carlos City Police Station.
Initial investigations revealed that Brito was tending to his livestock when the 12 armed men approached him at around 8 a.m. on Tuesday, January 7.
Villasario said without warning, the armed men opened fire, inflicting severe gunshot wounds to the victim’s head and other parts of his body. He died on the spot.
Authorities were still investigating the motive behind the attack, but the victim’s affiliation with the RPA-ABB has raised suspicions of a possible politically motivated killing./PN
