CAFGU man killed as teen assassins strike in Capiz
A member of the volunteer Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) was murdered yesterday in the Province of Capiz.
The victim was identified as Weren Ballen of the 6th CAFGU unit assigned at West Villaflores detachment in Maayon, Capiz. His death, authorities now declared, was a handiwork of communist rebels operating in the area. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) here in a news statement also added, more communist-backed killings are in the offing. Purported target areas are several towns in two Western Visayas provinces.
“The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) is still continuing their murder operation in Region 6 in order to show their supposed strength and capability in sowing terror and sabotage,” Captain Lowen Gil Marquez, commanding officer of the AFP’s 3rd Civil Relations Unit said. “Yes, we have monitored them in Iloilo and Capiz with our soldiers, the CAFGUs and other law enforcers as targets. This is a severe human rights violation by the CPP hierarchy and yet another clear violation in the Human Security Act.”
Ballen’s killers, the AFP continued, were two teen-age hitmen of the New People’s Army (NPA), armed wing of the CPP. The killing occurred about 9:30am yesterday in Barangay Putian, Cuartero, Capiz.
It was to be the second NPA-perpetuated deaths in a span of nine days. Last February 17th, a farmer in Barangay Tagsing, Leon, Iloilo was also killed identified by the police as Perfecto Campuid.
“These two murders committed by the terrorist CPP-NPA are severe violations on top of the peace talk violation. This is a crime against humanity,” the AFP news statement went.