The New People’s Army (NPA) has claimed responsibility for killing three civilians in southern Negros Occidental from October 4 to 12, accusing them of rape, serving as government intelligence assets, and involvement in a farmer’s killing.
The NPA’s Southwest Negros Guerrilla Front claimed it executed a 59-year-old farmer known as alias “Natoy” in Barangay Yao-yao, Cauayan town, on October 4.
The group accused him of repeatedly raping a minor in 2024 and abusing the same victim in 2026.
Police said unidentified gunmen shot the farmer several times at around 5:40am as he prepared to feed his pigs behind his house. He died at the scene.
On October 5, the NPA’s South Central Negros command also claimed responsibility for killing alias “Dioleto” in Sitio Capaklan, Barangay Santol, in the town of Binalbagan, about 40 kilometers north of Cauayan.
The group accused him of gathering intelligence for the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) by monitoring rebel activities in forests and sugarcane plantations.
The third killing occurred on October 12 in Sitio Gabok, Barangay Basak, Cauayan, where the NPA’s Armando Sumayang Jr. Command said it carried out a death sentence against Vergilio “Billy” Icunas.
The rebel group accused Icunas of involvement in the July 21 killing of farmer Dominador “Boboy” Tilad, 46, in the same community.
The killing was linked in the NPA’s account to a land dispute involving farmers who claim tenancy rights over land within an estate owned by Mauro Ledesma.
The NPA alleged that Icunas and other armed men had threatened farmers contesting a 16-hectare property claimed by Haidee Tresreyes.
It also claimed the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) had recognized the farmers as legitimate tenants and ruled against their eviction.
The group said its self-described “people’s court” found Icunas and another suspect, Rudy Kabigon, guilty of Tilad’s killing and sentenced both to death.
The NPA added that it had carried out the sentence against Icunas and urged its other units to enforce the ruling against Kabigon, whom it described as still “at large.”
The NPA’s allegations against the three civilians have not been independently verified.
Army reports encounter
Meanwhile, days before the reported killings, an alleged encounter between government troops and suspected NPA members in Escalante City left a member of the Citizens Armed Force Geographical Unit Active Auxiliary dead and two soldiers wounded on September 29.
The Philippine Army said personnel from the 79th Infantry Battalion, including members of its Mobile Community Support and Sustainment Program (MCSSP) team, were conducting a security patrol in Sitio Bautista, Barangay Malasibog, when the fighting erupted.
The exchange of gunfire lasted about 10 minutes.
The Army said the wounded soldiers were taken to a hospital and remained in stable condition.
Major General Joey Escanillas, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, extended condolences to the slain auxiliary member’s family and said the incident would not stop military efforts to support peace and development programs.
Security operations in the area continued, the Army official said.
NTF-ELCAC cites previous killings
In April 2026, National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) Executive Director Ernesto C. Torres Jr. cited more than 40 civilians reportedly killed by the NPA on Negros Island since 2025.
He argued that the rebel group could not legitimately investigate, try and execute people outside the Philippine judicial system.
Torres also cited the Commission on Human Rights’ (CHR) condemnation of the killing of 74-year-old Leonora “Leonor” Anguit of Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental, and stressed that civilians accused of being government informants deserve protection from violence.*
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, contributes to Negros Daily Bulletin, and maintains a blog on Medium.