TACLOBAN CITY – The body of a village councilor in Northern Samar who was reportedly slain by the New People’s Army sometime last year for not cooperating with them has been discovered by the military.
THE remains of Barangay Epaw, Las Navas, Northern Samar Councilor Jaime Asinas who was allegedly killed by the New People’s Army last year have been unearthed by the military. (3rd IB FB)

Troops belonging to the 3rd Infantry “Regardless of What” Battalion unearthed the body of Jaime Asinas in Barangay Epaw, a village near Barangay San Jose in Las Navas town in Northern Samar where he was a councilor. Asinas was reportedly abducted and killed by the members of the Communist NPA Terrorists (CNTs) on July 9, 2022, allegedly for not cooperating with the rebels. The cadaver was positively identified by his kin since it matched his clothes and boots he was wearing the day he was last seen before he went missing. According to his family, the victim was abducted because he refused to use their village's funds to support the CNTs. He had also been suspected to be an informant of the military, specifically the 20th Infantry Battalion. According to a witness, he was forced to dig his own grave using a piece of wood. After digging, he was tied up and interrogated. However, the victim remained silent. At that instance, the rebels shot him in the head using an M16 rifle. He was also stabbed multiple times before the NPA terrorists buried him. Asinas' body was unearthed through the information given by Alfredo Cocoya, a former member of the Sub-Regional Security Force (SRSF). His wife Jelly felt enraged by what she called “inhumane acts of NPA terrorists.” "Masama ang loob namin, sobra kaming nagagalit sa nangyaring pagpatay sa asawa ko. Pinatay na lang sana nila sa barangay namin hindi 'yung dinala pa nila sa ibang lugar," she lamented. According to Jelly, she was told that her husband was buried in a far place. As it turned out, her husband was only buried in a nearby village. 3rd IB commander Lt. Col. Colonel Isidro Vicente condemns the brutal act of the communist NPA terrorists. He said it only shows the true faces of NPA terrorists who continuously violate human rights, the Ottawa Convention, the International Humanitarian Law, and the Republic Act 9851. "We still call for those victims of this communist terrorist ideology to lay down their arms and live a normal life as all Filipinos should do,” he urged.