(1st UPDATE) Armed men shot dead an elderly woman whose house was linked to afierce encounter last year, killing her outside a home built for her by the local government in Barangay Tapi, Kabankalan City in Negros Occidental on Tuesday night, February 3, 2026.
The attackers killed 74-year-old Leonora Anggit at around 7pm in Purok Halimbawa after forcing their way into her residence and confronting her inside.
Speaking to Brigada News FM–Kabankalan, Anggit’s sibling said two armed men went to the house, briefly talked to the elderly, and instructed everyone inside not to go out. Moments later, the family heard a gunshot.
Gripped by fear, the family obeyed the suspects’ instructions and stayed inside the house.
Later that night, relatives found Anggit lying in a pool of blood outside her house, with a gunshot wound to the forehead.
Before the killing
The slain elderly previously owned a house in the same village where seven alleged rebels died during an encounter on April 27, 2025, including Dee Supelanas, a University of the Philippines graduate.
During that same incident, a bullet struck Anggit’s husband, leaving him injured.
The incident destroyed Anggit’s original home, prompting the Kabankalan local government to construct a new house for the family, where the fresh shooting incident happened.
Investigators are now probing whether the attackers targeted Anggit over accusations that she provided information to members of the military.
As of broadcast time, the New People’s Army (NPA) has released no statement on the killing.
The 15th Infantry Battalion, which covers the area, condemned the killing calling it a “serious crime” punishable by law.
“The killing of a civilian is a serious crime punishable under the law of the land and a grave violation of religious principles. Such an act is unacceptable and has no place in a society that upholds the sanctity of life,” the statement sent to Brigada News Kabankalan on Thursday, February 5, read.
“We extend our deepest condolences and sympathies to the bereaved family,” the army unit said.
The incident was considered by some as the first insurgency-related case recorded this year under the battalion’s new commander, Lieutenant Colonel Roberto Maduli.*
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, maintains a personal blog on Medium, and is the communications officer of Hope Builders Organization Negros Island.