By JACINTO LINGATONG
Bulatlat.com
SANTA CRUZ, Laguna – Three residents of Guindawhan village in the town of Pio V. Corpus, Masbate were killed on Aug. 30 by soldiers belonging to the 2nd Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army, said the New People’s Army – Masbate in a statement.
This contradicts an earlier statement of the Philippine military that they were killed during an armed encounter with NPA fighters.
In a statement, the Army’s 2nd ID claimed that three NPA fighters were killed after a 10-minute exchange of gunfire with their troops around 5:45 a.m. on Aug. 30.
However, NPA-Masbate said in their report that the victims, identified as Amy Olivar and spouses Julie and Jovie Rabadon, were killed in their home, describing their gunshot wounds as fatal shots.
“The military was responsible for the deaths of these civilians,” the group added.
Also last month, on Aug. 19, soldiers from the 96th IB and the local police were involved in the killing of three women in Barangay Jagnaan, San Jacinto, Ticao Island, Masbate.
Similar to the Aug. 30 incident, authorities claimed that these killings took place during an armed clash, which NPA fighters also denied.
The victims were identified as Jelyn Guis Dejomo, Sheryl Salazar Dejomo, and Divina Lubiano Ajitan.
“The regime of Marcos Jr. bears significant responsibility for the widespread slaughter in the province, primarily targeting the peasant masses. Behind this are the continuous maneuvers of his favored companies, Filminera Resources Corporation, Ecotourism Empark, and the construction of an international airport,” Pambansang Katipunan ng mga Magbubukid (PKM) – Masbate, underground revolutionary group of peasants, said.
Bicol is among the regions where soldiers have been massively deployed under the previous Duterte administration through his Memorandum No. 32. Such deployment has since resulted in human rights violations, including arrests and extrajudicial killings.
As of June 30, human rights group Karaparan said there were 16 extrajudicial killings in the Bicol region. This is second to Negros province, which is also covered by Memorandum No. 32.
“We must unite our strength and advance campaigns to remove the soldiers and police who are a plague on the lives and livelihoods of the masses. More than ever, the Masbateños must continue to support armed resistance in the province,” PKM-Masbate said. (JJE, RVO) 
