Two more shot dead in Guihulngan City

From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 15): Two more shot dead in Guihulngan City

Two persons were shot dead in Guihulngan City in northern Negros Oriental on Tuesday.

A report from the Negros Oriental Philippine National Police (PNP) Provincial Office through Superintendent Kat Ramos disclosed that the shooting incidents happened some 12 hours apart.

In the first incident, the victim was identified as Bartolome Escuadro Soreño, 42 years old, single, and a resident of Barangay Nagsaha in Guihulngan City.

Initial police investigation showed that four unidentified male suspects, who are at large and believed to be members of the New People’s Army (NPA), attacked and shot the victim.

The police said that according to the victim’s brother, Ricardo Soreño, his older brother, Bartolome, had come from his neighbor’s house and returned home to feed his fighting cocks and chickens when suddenly, the suspects appeared from nowhere and shot him at different parts of his body, killing him instantly.

Police recovered from the crime scene four pieces of caliber .9mm fired cartridges, eight pieces of caliber .45 fired cartridges, and one slug of caliber .45.

Reports say prior to the shooting, the victim was advised to leave his village but he refused to heed the warning.

His death came in the heels of the August 10 shooting-to-death of Barangay Nagsaha chairman Virgilio “Jekjek” Masicampo, which the NPA has claimed responsibility for.

Meanwhile, hours after the first shooting incident, the police reported that at around 8:10 p.m. along the national highway in Barangay McKinley, Guihulngan City, an unidentified male person wearing a red t-shirt and cargo short pants was shot by unidentified suspects riding tandem on a motorcycle.

A report from Supt. Ramos identified the victim as Roberto Balongcas, of legal age, single, and a resident of Sitio Tipolo, Barangay Pantao in Calatrava, Negros Occidental.

The victim was brought to the Guihulngan District Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.

A neighbor, Ernesto Gadinggan Telmoso, 46 years old, a "trisikad" driver and temporarily staying at Barangay Looc, Poblacion, Guihulngan, positively identified the shooting victim as a certain Balongcas.

Residents and those who have relatives in Guihulngan City are now clamoring for a hasty resolution to the spate of killings there, which apparently started last year following the ambush-slay of the police chief and five police officers and a civilian, and the wounding of three other policemen.

Since then, the shooting incidents continued but police authorities would not categorically say that these are related to one another.

Meanwhile, an electronic statement from a group claiming to be the NPA’s Leonardo Panaligan Command has claimed responsibility for the death of the Nagsaha punong barangay, Virgilio Masicampo, for his alleged abuses against the people.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1044974