GRIEVING WIDOW. Juana Loquias sobs at the wake of her husband, Virgelio, who was killed by the New People's Army in San Antonio, Hilongos, Leyte. (PNA photo by Roel Amazona)
A woman who lost her husband killed by New People’s Army (NPA) terrorists is crying for justice.
Her husband’s death prompted Juana Loquias, 28, to leave their village for fear of her safety and her two children.
“I want justice to be served for my husband’s death,” Loquias added. “I don’t know what I will be doing next after they killed my husband. I don’t know how am I going to raise our two children because their father is now gone.”
The late Virgelio Loquias, 43, the chief of upland San Antonio village in Hilongos town suffered 12 gunshot wounds after he was shot at close range on August 15 by NPA members.
The widow recalled that her husband received several death threats from the NPA prior to the murder.
“The people who are concerned about my husband's safety told us about the NPA’s plot to kill my husband. They accused of being an informant of the military that led to the discovery of their camp near our village,” Juana told reporters on Sunday.
A rebel was killed and one was captured during the encounter between the communist terrorists and the soldiers on May 12, 2017.
San Antonio is two hours motorcycle ride from the town center and 30 minutes hike to the village situated near the boundary of Bontoc town in Southern Leyte province.
The widow thanked the support she received from their friends who visited the wake of her husband at the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Building in the town center.
The local police tagged the incident as an isolated case and said they will be filling murder charges against four suspects in the killing of the village chief.
Hilongos town police chief, Maj. Jason Balbarona said the suspect was positively identified by the witnesses after the military showed the gallery of pictures to them.
“We cannot divulge yet the identity and names of the suspects but once we had filed the cases, we can disclose their names to the media,” Balbarosa said.
Balbarosa added that aside from the M-16 rifle, the suspects were also carrying an MK-47 rifle.
“Definitely, they are rebel groups because government troops do not use MK-47,” he said.
Virgelio was fishing around 1 p.m. on Thursday in a creek in their village when four armed men attacked him. The victim’s father-in-law, Romeo Adobas, and two other companions, Antonio de los Santos, and Julius Britania, were spared by gunmen.
Citing accounts of witnesses, said the suspected rebels asked the village chief to lie down on his stomach and said: “this person has a grave offense to our organization that is why [our] camp was raided.”
Meanwhile, the Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division Commander Maj. Gen. Pio Diñoso condemned the killing of the village official, saying the incident is “another proof of desperation of communist NPA terrorists that they resorted in this barbaric act to terrorize the communities that are no longer supportive to their dying movement.”
“The Philippine Army strongly condemns the murder perpetrated by terrorists and a clear manifestation of gross violation of human rights.”
He assured a fair joint investigation by the Philippine Army and the Philippine National Police will be done to ensure that justice will be served.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1078135
Her husband’s death prompted Juana Loquias, 28, to leave their village for fear of her safety and her two children.
“I want justice to be served for my husband’s death,” Loquias added. “I don’t know what I will be doing next after they killed my husband. I don’t know how am I going to raise our two children because their father is now gone.”
The late Virgelio Loquias, 43, the chief of upland San Antonio village in Hilongos town suffered 12 gunshot wounds after he was shot at close range on August 15 by NPA members.
The widow recalled that her husband received several death threats from the NPA prior to the murder.
“The people who are concerned about my husband's safety told us about the NPA’s plot to kill my husband. They accused of being an informant of the military that led to the discovery of their camp near our village,” Juana told reporters on Sunday.
A rebel was killed and one was captured during the encounter between the communist terrorists and the soldiers on May 12, 2017.
San Antonio is two hours motorcycle ride from the town center and 30 minutes hike to the village situated near the boundary of Bontoc town in Southern Leyte province.
The widow thanked the support she received from their friends who visited the wake of her husband at the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Building in the town center.
The local police tagged the incident as an isolated case and said they will be filling murder charges against four suspects in the killing of the village chief.
Hilongos town police chief, Maj. Jason Balbarona said the suspect was positively identified by the witnesses after the military showed the gallery of pictures to them.
“We cannot divulge yet the identity and names of the suspects but once we had filed the cases, we can disclose their names to the media,” Balbarosa said.
Balbarosa added that aside from the M-16 rifle, the suspects were also carrying an MK-47 rifle.
“Definitely, they are rebel groups because government troops do not use MK-47,” he said.
Virgelio was fishing around 1 p.m. on Thursday in a creek in their village when four armed men attacked him. The victim’s father-in-law, Romeo Adobas, and two other companions, Antonio de los Santos, and Julius Britania, were spared by gunmen.
Citing accounts of witnesses, said the suspected rebels asked the village chief to lie down on his stomach and said: “this person has a grave offense to our organization that is why [our] camp was raided.”
Meanwhile, the Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division Commander Maj. Gen. Pio Diñoso condemned the killing of the village official, saying the incident is “another proof of desperation of communist NPA terrorists that they resorted in this barbaric act to terrorize the communities that are no longer supportive to their dying movement.”
“The Philippine Army strongly condemns the murder perpetrated by terrorists and a clear manifestation of gross violation of human rights.”
He assured a fair joint investigation by the Philippine Army and the Philippine National Police will be done to ensure that justice will be served.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1078135
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