The mother of a village councilor who was shot dead by armed men in Barangay Tambad, Cauayan, around 5 am on Monday, November 3, recounted the brief exchange that took place moments before her son was killed.
The victim, Ariel Calumboy, was an elected village councilor and president of Sambayanan–Cauayan, an anti-communist organization supporting peace and livelihood programs in the town.
His mother, Rosalina Calumboy, said her son was supposed to tend to his livestock early that morning when six armed individuals — five men and a young woman — arrived at their home and called him by his nickname.
“They told him, ‘Wad (councilor), let’s talk,’” Rosalina recalled in an interview with Brigada News FM-Kabankalan. “One of them asked, ‘How’s the barangay?’ and he replied, ‘It’s okay, sir.’ Then they told him to sit — and moments later, they shot him.”
Police reports stated that Calumboy sustained three gunshot wounds to the chest and abdomen and was pronounced dead on arrival at the Cauayan Health Center.
Authorities recovered three spent shells and a deformed slug believed to be from a 5.56 mm firearm.
Taskforce created
The Police Regional Office–Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) has created a Special Investigation Task Group (SITG Calumboy) to investigate the killing.
PRO-NIR Director Brigadier General Arnold Thomas Ibay condemned the incident as “a cowardly act that has no place in a peaceful and democratic society,” and directed the SITG, composed of the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO), Cauayan Police Station, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), and the 15th Infantry Battalion (IB), to pursue all possible angles.
“We condemn in the strongest terms this violent attack against an elected barangay official. Rest assured that the Police Regional Office – Negros Island Region will exhaust all resources to ensure that justice is served swiftly and that those responsible are held accountable,” Ibay said in a statement.
Killing spree?
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Colonel Eduardo Salvador, commander of the 15th IB, identified the main suspect as alias “Kalbo,” an alleged squad leader of the Southwest Front (SWF) of the New People’s Army (NPA) — a guerrilla front once active in southern Negros but now considered defunct by the state forces.
Salvador said Kalbo now oversees some operations previously led by Ka Kumpol, a fugitive rebel leader killed in an encounter in Kabankalan last April.
He added that the same group was also responsible for the killing of a purok chairperson in Barangay Lina-on, in the same town, last October 14.
“We are saddened and extend our condolences to the family and the entire town of Cauayan for the loss of a kind and hardworking barangay councilor whose goal was to help people’s organizations grow and reach a better state,” Salvador said.
Earlier, Salvador said the rebels have resorted to fear tactics, claiming that the group has grown “desperate” in its bid to rebuild its ranks.
He added that the military is verifying reports of possible forced recruitment by the NPA.
The NPA has yet to issue a statement on the incident, but if it claims responsibility, Calumboy’s killing would mark the group’s sixth attack in Negros Island’s 6th District since August.*
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.