The Armando Sumayang Jr. Command of the New People’s Army (ASJC-NPA) has claimed responsibility for the killing of Leonora Anguit, a 74-year-old resident of Purok Halimbawa, Barangay Tapi in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental who was shot dead on the night of February 3.
Police said Anguit died from a gunshot wound to the forehead, believed to have been fired from a 9mm pistol, during the attack at around 8 p.m.
Investigators said several armed men went to the couple’s house, forced Anguit’s husband into a room, and took Anguit outside. There, the attackers questioned her about a previous military encounter that had taken place on their property before shooting her.
In a statement, the ASJC-NPA said it carried out the killing after accusing Anguit of acting as an intelligence asset for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
The group claimed Anguit’s alleged reports led to an April 27, 2025 clash between soldiers from the 47th, 11th, and 15th Infantry Battalions and remnants of the NPA’s Southwest Front at the couple’s residence. The encounter resulted in the deaths of seven rebels.
The NPA said it imposed what it called a “death penalty” on Anguit, accusing her of having “blood debts” for the deaths of its members. The group also alleged that the military had tipped off Anguit and her husband to leave their home before the encounter.
Meanwhile, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) strongly condemned the killing, describing it as a case of “spy-tagging” that escalated into a summary execution.
“This was an execution,” said NTF-ELCAC Executive Director Ernesto C. Torres Jr., adding that the attack was neither accidental nor criminal in nature.
Torres said the attackers branded Anguit a “spy” and killed her, stressing that spy-tagging “is not just a label—it is a death sentence.”
Citing accounts from the ground, Torres said the assailants identified themselves as NPA members, deliberately searched for Anguit, isolated her, and shot her at close range.
He said Anguit’s supposed “crime” stemmed from NPA elements previously using her property and later suffering losses in encounters with government forces.
Torres added that the group redirected its anger toward an elderly civilian instead of taking responsibility for its actions.
NTF-ELCAC said Anguit’s killing fits a documented pattern of systematic spy-tagging and liquidation in Negros, noting that civilians from various sectors were killed last year after being labeled as informants.*
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.