• RICHARD T. CABALLERO JR.
The Leonardo Panaligan Command-New People’s Army (LPC-NPA) has claimed the death of a 44-year-old laborer slain in Sitio Old Manghanoy, Barangay Manghanoy, La Castellana, Negros Occidental on Monday evening.
In a statement, rebels identified their victim as Rene Francisco, 44, and a resident of the area. Francisco was executed after the rebels claimed that he was a drug pusher and an asset of the La Castellana Municipal Police Station.
“We have been sending warnings to Francisco to stop selling shabu in his community. It destroys the mind and the future of our youth and the community, especially of the farmers and laborers,” rebels stressed in a statement.
NPA added that Francisco has engaged in sexual immoralities such as adultery and sexual abuse against his child, prompting them to carry out the execution.
That police investigation into the killing of Francisco revealed that about six armed men suddenly emerged from a nearby sugarcane plantation and approached the victim, who was with his cousin at a small fishpond.
According to reports, the suspects fired multiple shots at the victim using an undetermined caliber of firearm. The victim sustained gunshot wounds to various parts of his body which resulted in his death.
After the shooting, the assailants allegedly shouted in the vernacular, “Dugay ka na namon ginpangita (We have been looking for you for a long time),” before fleeing in an unknown direction.*
