KILLED BY NPA REBELS. One of the 50 New People’s Army (NPA) rebels shot to death farmer Edgar B. Jore, 45, of Purok 9, Sitio Tagbuaya, Barangay Bangonay, Jabonga Wednesday night (April 28, 2021). Police said the killing was witnessed by the wife and 18-year-old son of the victim, who also identified one of the perpetrators. (Photo courtesy of Jabonga Municipal Police Station)
BUTUAN CITY – A farmer in Agusan del Norte was shot dead by one of 50 communist New People’s Army (NPA) rebels who went to his home in Jabonga town, the local police said Thursday.
In a report, the victim was identified as Edgar B. Jore, 45, of Barangay Bangonay, Jabonga, Agusan del Norte.
Staff Sgt. Sainodin M. Imam told the Philippine News Agency that the victim’s wife, Gertrudez Ensinada Jore, and their son, 18, witnessed the incident.
“Based on their testimonies, the fully-armed NPA rebels, around 50 of them, arrived in their house at around 6 p.m. on Wednesday. The perpetrators entered their house and immediately pointed an AK-45 rifle at the victim's head. Then the armed men dragged the victim outside of their residence,” Imam said.
“The victim succumbed to three gunshot wounds in the body and two on his feet,” the police officer said.
After the killing, the perpetrators fled toward the mountainous area of the barangay, he added.
Imam said the victim's wife and son identified one of the perpetrators as Sadam Porogoy Dayong, a member of Guerrilla Front (GF) 16A of the NPA's North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee.
“The wife and the son knew Sadam Porongoy Dayong because he is also from Barangay Bangonay,” Imam said.
He added that the body of the victim was retrieved the next day due to the distance of the place and the presence of NPA rebels.
“The wife and his son told us that the victim was a simple farmer in their place who only attended to his farm for a living. He has no connections with the military or any group,” he said.
The Jabonga Municipal Police Station is still investigating the case while soldiers from the Army’s 29th Infantry Battalion have conducted pursuit operations in the area.
The NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. (PNA)
