BUTUAN CITY (PNA) – The New People’s Army (NPA) killed a 23-year-old former comrade while tending to his pigs in San Miguel, Surigao del Sur on Friday, Sept. 9.
The Indigenous People Mandatory Representative (IPMR) of San Miguel has condemned the NPA for killing Marvin Alimboyong Caling, a Manobo tribe member and farmer, of Purok 4, Barangay Carromata, San Miguel.
In an interview Monday, Sept. 12, Datu Rico Maca, the IPMR of San Miguel, said NPA was responsible for the death of Caling.
Caling was gunned down by four men while feeding his pigs in the morning in his farm near his residence.
Maca said Caling was a former rebel who surrendered in 2020 to "change his life and attend to his family."
“The NPA insurgents are merciless, they completely disregard the value of human life. We strongly condemn this recent killing perpetrated by these rebels to one of our own,” Maca said in the vernacular.
He described the NPA rebels as “notorious,” as he recounted the previous killings perpetrated by the communist guerrillas against numerous IP leaders and members in Surigao del Sur.
Maca urged authorities to arrest the perpetrators to give justice to the family of the victim.
“Caling left a pregnant wife. His only intention when he returned to the fold of the law was to be with his family,” Maca said.
In a report, the Surigao del Sur Police Provincial Office (SDSPPO) said the victim was shot several times in the head and body.
The perpetrators commandeered the motorcycle of the victim parked nearby and sped off towards the irrigation dam site in Sitio 1, Barangay Sagbayan, San Miguel.
The gunmen burned the motorcycle they took and headed on foot towards the mountainous area of Sitio Kiskis, Barangay Siagao, San Miguel.
Caling was rushed to the San Miguel Community Hospital but was pronounced dead by the attending physician.