By CESAR JOLITO III

Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose “Bong” Lacson has renewed his appeal to end violence in the province after a communist rebel group claimed responsibility for the killing of two men in Victorias City.

Lacson lamented the continuing loss of lives amid the decades-long armed conflict.

“It is very sad that Filipinos are killing each other,” the governor said.

His statement came after the Roselyn Jean Pelle Command of the New People’s Army claimed responsibility for the deaths of Jerome Seballos and Alex Cunanan, who were found dead in Barangay Gawahon’s Sitio Singko in Victorias City last Friday, July 10.

In a statement released Sunday, July 12, rebel spokesperson Ka Cecil Estrella said the group’s Special Partisan Unit carried out what it described as a “death penalty” against the two men, accusing them of serving as military informants and intelligence assets of local landlords.

Lacson, however, reiterated his call for remaining communist rebels to abandon the armed struggle and return to the fold of the law.

He said the government remains prepared to extend assistance to insurgents who choose to surrender and rebuild their lives through available reintegration programs.

The governor also assured the Armed Forces of the Philippines of the provincial government’s continued support for former rebels as they transition to peaceful and productive lives in their communities.

Authorities continue to investigate the Victorias killings while security forces maintain operations against insurgent groups in Negros Occidental./CCJ, WDJ