• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has dispatched its investigators in Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental, to conduct a probe into the reported massacre of four members of a family on June 14.
In a statement, the CHR said it will pursue the truth behind the killings and seek justice for the victims, stressing that all possible angles will be pursued in the course of the independent investigation.
“This will include allegations that members of the Philippine Army were behind the killing, and that the incident was insurgency-related and linked to the New People’s Army,” it said.
The four slain family members, composed of Rolly Fausto, his wife, Imelda, and their two minor children, were buried yesterday at the public cemetery of Brgy. Aguisan in Himamaylan City, as facilitated by its Mayor Raymund Tongson.
Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, in a statement said “the massacre of innocent civilians is an outrage to our morals, our values, and our commitment to peace and justice.”
Lacson called on law enforcement authorities to lead an in-depth investigation into what he described as a “horrible act.”
Those guilty must be brought to justice as soon as possible, he said.
Such brutality that threatens to destabilize our province and destroy the peace of our people, has no place in our society, Lacson further said.
Lt Col. Van Donald Almonte, 94th Infantry Battalion commander, whose unit was responsible for the neutralization of two top Negros Island officials of the NPA, namely Rogelio Posadas and Romeo Nanta, claimed that Rolly Fausto was negotiating for the surrender of his in-laws, who are members of the NPA Central Negros 2 unit, prior to the massacre of his family.
Ka Dionesio Magbuelas spokesperson of the NPA Mt. Cansermon Command, also known as to the military as Central Negros 2, dismissed claims that Fausto was a military informant.
In another statement, the Police Regional Office 6 vowed to bring the “terrorists” to justice and to utilize all its resources to effectively neutralize any and all threats to the safety, security and welfare of the people of Himamaylan City.*
