By CESAR JOLITO III

The New People’s Army (NPA) has claimed responsibility for the killing of a man the group identified as an alleged military intelligence asset at Barangay Santol in Negros Occidental’s Binalbagan town.

In a statement, the Romeo Nanta Command of the New People’s Army (NPA), operating under the South Central Negros Guerrilla Front, said it carried out what it described as a “punitive action” against Rey Norquiana at around 3:00 p.m. in Sitio Solbud on Tuesday, February 17.

The rebel group alleged that Norquiana had long served as an intelligence asset of the 94th Infantry Battalion of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and was involved in organizing an intelligence network in Barangay Santol.

According to the statement, the NPA accused him of persuading residents to provide information to the military in exchange for money.

The Romeo Nanta Command further claimed that Norquiana was previously warned by the group in 2018 to stop his alleged activities, citing what it called the negative impact on civilians and local communities.

The NPA said it gave him a chance to change but accused him of resuming what it described as “anti-revolutionary activities” in 2023 following an internal investigation.

The rebel unit also alleged that Norquiana was involved in providing information that led to a military operation against an NPA unit in the area in the same year.

In the same statement, the NPA called on alleged local intelligence assets to coordinate with its nearest units while warning individuals it labeled as part of the counterinsurgency machinery of the Philippine National Police and the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict./CJ, WDJ