A 66-year-old woman, who was identified by police as a Philippine Army (PA) informant, was gunned down execution style by men who claimed to be members of the New People’s Army (NPA) in what was the third gun attack allegedly perpetrated by the rebel group in Bohol in a span of less than two months.
Staff Sgt. Leo Leopoldo of the Sevilla Police Station said that three pistol-wielding assailants called out the victim from inside her home in Barangay Bayawahan, Sevilla and forced her to go to the village’s basketball court where she was shot multiple times using a .45 caliber pistol at dawn on Saturday.
“Gipagawas sila sa ilang balay, silang duha sa iyang bana. Pero ang gipangita g’yud tong bayi, dugay man ming gawas mao ang bana gipressure og taman aron mo gawas. Hantod nang gawas silang duha, unya gida sila atbang sa ilang bay, sa basketbolan, ang laki gipakub didto unya ang bayi didto ra sa gate sa basketbolan gipusil,” he said.
Several witnesses saw the incident from inside their homes.
According Leopoldo, the victim identified as Germenihelda Dologuin died on the spot after she was shot in the head, chest and knees while her husband was left unharmed.
Germenihelda was said to be working with PA which may have drawn the ire of the communist guerillas who have been attempting to reestablish a stronghold in the province which has been deemed insurgency-free for the past decade.
“Naay mura’g sa ning bayi sa pikas, asset to siya sa goberno, sa Army,” said Leopoldo.
The suspects then identified themselves as members of the rebel group as they left a warning to residents in the area.
They left on foot as they moved out of the village.
“Kaming mga NPA mo patay mi basta makasasang tawo,” one of the gunmen was quoted as saying as they left.
The fatal shooting of Germenihelda is the third attack allegedly perpetrated by members of the NPA in a span of less than two months.
On November 22, former PA soldier Kenneth Cordero was critically shot by a still unidentified gunman who was armed with a long firearm and claimed to be an NPA member in Batuan.
He sustained a gunshot wound in his abdomen while his face was grazed with a bullet
Also in Batuan, alleged NPA rebels shot dead Diosdado Diez, 48, who was a former Army reservists who continued to work as an asset for the PA.
Diez was flagged down by at least five alleged rebels then gunned down while driving his motorcycle with his niece, a minor, on board. The girl was unscathed during the attack.
While the local government has maintained that Bohol is still considered insurgency-free, there have been several encounters between state forces and the rebel group in the past two years.
The clashes erupted in far-flung villages including barangays in Batuan. (A. Doydora)