NPA ATTACK. The site in Inubod village in Matuguinao, Samar where the New People's Army (NPA) attacked a village official and a farmer on Monday (Nov. 18, 2019). The farmer died and the village official was slightly wounded. (Google image)
TACLOBAN CITY -- A farmer was killed and a village official was slightly wounded when 30 members of the New People’s Army (NPA) attacked them in the upland Inubod village in Matuguinao, Samar on Monday afternoon.
Killed was Dennis Diaz, a farmer residing in Nagpapacao village, Matuguinao town. Slightly injured was Edwin Velarde, a village council member of Nagpapacao.
“They were fired upon by a group of armed men believed to be members of the communist terrorist group armed with high powered long firearms. Unfortunately, Diaz was hit on his right biceps that resulted in his instantaneous death,” the Philippine National Police (PNP) said in a report released to reporters on Tuesday.
The incident was only reported to the police station the day after since residents have to hike for hours to the town center from Inubod village.
Several villages in Matuguinao town has been tagged as NPA-threatened due to poor road networks from the town center and the high poverty incidence.
Matuguinao is a fifth-class town in Samar province with a population of 7,288 people. The town is 105 kilometers from Tacloban City, the regional capital.
About 60 percent of the population is living in poverty, based on the 2015 survey of the Philippine Statistics Authority.
The local government of Matuguinao recently declared the NPA as persona non grata in their area.
The NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. (PNA)
