BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
A former barangay kagawad and his son were shot and killed allegedly by New People’s Army rebels on February 16 in Brgy. Malangsa, Vallehermoso, Negros Oriental.
The victims were identified by the 62nd Infantry Battalion as Lucio Perater and his son, Antonio.
Lucio Perater, a former kagawad of Malangsa in Vallehermoso town, is the husband of incumbent Malangsa barangay chairwoman Beatriz Perater.
Vallhermoso Mayor Marianne Gustilo, chairperson of the Municipal Task Force-ELCAC (Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict), strongly condemned the killing, according to a press statement issued by the 62IB.
“This barbaric act perpetuated by the members of the NPA is despicable and unacceptable, especially executing people who refuse to pay revolutionary taxes,” Gustilo said.
The LGU condemns all sorts of violent acts, which must not be tolerated, she further stressed.
Gustilo also said that the principle of the NPA of collecting taxes from the poor in the name of protecting them is a flagrant act of extortion, since they are not representing a legitimate government.
Recovered from the scene of incident were several empty shells and slugs of still unidentified caliber of firearms.*