BACOLOD CITY – The Philippine National Police (PNP) in Western Visayas (Region 6) has dismissed the “baseless and malicious accusations” on its objectivity in the conduct of the investigation on the Himamaylan City massacre in Negros Occidental, saying that “facts indicate categorically” that the New People’s Army (NPA) is behind the killing.
In a statement on Thursday, the Police Regional Office in Western Visayas (PRO-6) headed by Brig. Gen. Sidney Villaflor responded to the claims of Unyon ng Manggagawa sa Agrikultura spokesperson Butch Lozande in a television interview, where he asserted the “perceived inability of the police to objectively investigate.”
“His baseless accusations and hearsay statements during his interview clearly undermine the effort and the hard work of our police in Negros Occidental,” the PRO-6 said.
On June 14, couple Rolly and Emilda Fausto and their two minor sons were gunned down in their house in the remote Sitio Kangkiling, Barangay Buenavista, considered an NPA-influenced village in central Negros.
The elder Fausto was believed to have been the target of communist-terrorists for facilitating the surrender of his relatives, who are members of the NPA.
About 15 armed men were suspected to have perpetrated the killing and more than 50 bullet shells were recovered from the scene of the crime, police investigation showed.
In the statement, the PRO-6 called out Lozande for “his malicious imputation of alleged double standards in the delivery of justice. (He) is very much mistaken on his perception of PRO-6”.
“Ka Butch should know by now that the investigation has uncovered that NPA terrorists killed the four members of the Fausto family,” it added.
Responding to the claim that the PNP “readily threw the ball at the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-NPA," the PRO-6 said, “the investigation on the incident is based on the accounts of witnesses and on facts”.
“The facts indicate categorically that members of the NPA terrorist group committed the killings,” it said, adding that “PRO-6 will utilize all its efforts and resources to bring the perpetrators to justice”.
According to the PRO-6, it is “the ploy of the CPP-NPA to discredit the government forces and create fear among peace advocates”.
“The people are now wide awake of the evils of communism – clothed in empty promises, ideology, and principle that no longer breathe, but rather, only exist in the subconscious of those deceived disciples of communism,” it added. (PNA)
