By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The Himamaylan City Police Station in Negros Occidental is initially looking into the possibility that the murder of a couple and their two children in the city’s Barangay Buenavista is insurgency-related.

City police chief, Lt. Colonel Reynante Jomocan, said the couple — 52-year-old Rolly Fausto and 49-year-old wife Emilda — have relatives who are active members of the New People’s Army (NPA).

Rolly’s body was recovered 50 meters away from their house in Sitio Kangkiling, where the bodies of his wife and their sons, aged 11 and 15, were found.

An initial investigation showed the victims sustained head injuries after they were shot at close range using an M16 rifle.

The wife was found dead on the stairs, while the minor was hanged from a door.

The other child was shot in his sleep, while the husband probably tried to escape, police said.

A police report said the couple’s eldest daughter reported the incident to the station at 6:15 a.m. yesterday.

The daughter, who was not home when the incident happened, said the murder happened at around 10:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 14. 

Neighbors’ accounts said they heard several gun shots prior to the discovery of the remains.

Meanwhile, the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) appealed for information of the perpetrators in the murder.

NOCPPO director, Colonel Leo Pamittan, appealed to witnesses to cooperate in the investigation.

“All information will be instrumental for a fast solution to the case and justice for the victims,” Pamittan said.

Barangay Buenavista is one of the NPA-influenced villages in Himamaylan.

Several encounters with government troops in the village have already claimed the lives of some NPA members in recent years./ With reports from PNA / DGB, WDJ