By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) in Negros Occidental will conduct an investigation into whether those who were killed in the recent encounter in the province’s Kabankalan City were members of the New People’s Army (NPA).

CHR-Negros Occidental officer-in-charge Vincent Para said the commission is already gathering needed documents to determine the identitiesof the three individuals who died in the clash.

Para said they will also visit the clash site in the city’s Barangay Oringao to find out what really happened, and to determine if any human rights violations were committed.

The first encounter took place on Saturday afternoon, February 4, between the Philippine Army’s 94th Infantry Battalion and the NPA in Purok Mugni. The firefight lasted for 20 minutes.

This prompted the government troops to conduct pursuit operations that resulted in a second encounter in the same barangay on Sunday morning, February 5.

At least 800 residents in Barangay Oringao fled their homes and sought shelter in a covered court in the village.

Based on the Army’s investigation, they encountered 15 NPA members while conducting a security patrol in the barangay to validate the reports of extortion and harassment.

Government forces also recovered a loaded M14 rifle, a .45 caliber pistol with magazines and ammunition, a .38 caliber pistol, backpacks, subversive documents, and personal belongings.

Killed on the second day of the clashes were 42-year-old Jomarie “Junjun” Callet of Barangay Tanlad in Negros Oriental’s Tayasan town, 40-year-old Joemarie Calumba of Barangay Oringao, and 47-year-old Diomedes Lasida of Ilog town’s Barangay Pinggot.

Meanwhile, Calumba’s wife denied that her husband was a member of the NPA, claiming that he was just a farm laborer.

On the other hand,Callet’s mother would admit that her son joined the group last year and repeatedly tried to convince him to surrender./DGB, WDJ