Suspected ‘Reds’ kill trader in Surigao Sur

From the Philippine News Agency (Oct 28, 2021): Suspected ‘Reds’ kill trader in Surigao Sur (By Alexander Lopez)

SLAIN. A police officer of Cortes, Surigao del Sur examines the crime scene where trader Nolly Sacriz Trijo, 53, of Barangay Mabahin was shot dead on Tuesday (Oct. 26, 2021). Five armed men, believed to be New People's Army terrorists, are being linked to the killing. (Photo courtesy of SDSPPO)

The Surigao del Sur Police Provincial Office (SDSPPO) on Thursday said suspected New People’s Army (NPA) terrorists killed a businessman in the town of Cortes.

In a report, the SDSPPO said the Cortes municipal police received on Wednesday a report on the shooting that transpired in Purok 5, Barangay Mabahin.

Upon reaching the area, the police team found the body of Nolly Sacriz Trijo, 53, of Barangay Mabahin and a buyer of falcata trees.

“Initial investigation revealed that on Oct. 26, at about 7:30 in the evening, while the victim was watching television together with his daughter, five armed men believed to be communist NPA terrorists, forcibly entered from the back portion of their house,” the police report said.

It added that the armed men told the victim’s daughter not to be afraid as they would only talk to her father about the offenses he had supposedly committed against the NPA.

It further said the armed men also searched the victim’s house to look for alleged firearms but found nothing.

The victim then was brought outside his residence and gunned down by the armed men.

The police also recovered from the crime scene two fired cartridge cases believed to be from an M16 rifle.

“Our investigation on this case continues to determine the identities of the perpetrators. We already gathered testimonies from some residents in the area,” SDSPPO Director Col. Joseph Boquiren told Philippine News Agency in an interview on Thursday.

He added that aside from the Cortes police office, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in the province is also helping in the investigation.

“When enough evidence warrants, with the testimonies of the witnesses, we will immediately file charges against the perpetrators,” Boquiren said.

The Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1158026