The Philippine National Police (PNP) will be investigating the presence of the alleged death squad which is tagged as responsible for the spate of killings of almost 20 people, most of them were tagged as sympathizers of the New People’s Army (NPA).
Initially, PNP chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde said he would talk to the provincial director of Negros Oriental about the presence of the anti-communist group Kawsa Guihulnganon Batok Kumunista (KAGUBAK) in Negros Oriental.
“Personally, it’s my first time to hear that. Our regional director there (Brig. Gen. Debold Sinas) has no report on that,” said Albayalde.
The alleged presence of Kagubak was discussed in a Senate investigation wherein the group allegedly prepared a hit list of people it would kill in Negros Oriental.
Five of those in the hit list were already killed: lawyer Anthony Trinidad, who was number 14 on the list; Heidi Malalay Flores who was 11th on the list; Roberto Caday, 12th; and Boy Litong and his son, who was accused of being a member of an NPA unit, both as number 15.
Incidentally, the spate of killings in Negros Oriental occurred a few days after four policemen were allegedly executed by suspected communist rebels in Barangay Mabato in Ayungon town on July 18.
From July 23 to 31, there were 17 killings reported in Negros Oriental, especially in areas tagged as hotbeds of communist rebels in the province that include Guihulngan City and Ayungon.
The barangay captain of the barangay where the four cops were executed committed suicide by drinking pesticide after he was implicated in the execution of four cops.
Albayalde confirmed that most of those killed had indeed links with groups being tagged as fronts of the communist rebels.
“Majority of the victims have only one in common, they have leanings on the Left,” said Albayalde.
But Albayalde was quick to tag the NPA itself as responsible for the killing in Negros Oriental.
“We are looking into the angle of purging because they have been doing that,” said Albayalde.
In the 1980s, the NPA leadership was accused of executing a number of its members suspected to be spies of the government. A mass grave of the purging was discovered in Leyte several years ago.
“They sacrifice their own and then they blame the security forces, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the PNP. So this is not a new propaganda of Left-leaning groups,” said Albayalde. (Aaron Recuenco)