Negros killings: Difference between revisions

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→‎Negros Oriental: This is an addition to a murder case along the same lines as the article.
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Restored revision 1105721094 by BrownHairedGirl (talk): Unsourced and rife with rumors and other unverifiable content.
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On December 15, 2020, Mary Rose Sancelan and her husband were killed by a gunman on a motorcycle outside a [[Subdivision (land)|subdivision]] in Guihulngan, Negros Oriental.<ref>{{cite news|access-date=December 21, 2020 |title= 24 Oras Livestream: December 17, 2020 {{!}} Replay (Full Episode)|url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAs4VUlHPjg&ab_channel=GMANewsGMANewsNa-verifyna|work=GMA News
On December 15, 2020, Mary Rose Sancelan and her husband were killed by a gunman on a motorcycle outside a [[Subdivision (land)|subdivision]] in Guihulngan, Negros Oriental.<ref>{{cite news|access-date=December 21, 2020 |title= 24 Oras Livestream: December 17, 2020 {{!}} Replay (Full Episode)|url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAs4VUlHPjg&ab_channel=GMANewsGMANewsNa-verifyna|work=GMA News
|via=YouTube }} ''Note: Skip at 40:48.''</ref>
|via=YouTube }} ''Note: Skip at 40:48.''</ref>

=== 2022 ===
On January 15th, 2022, '''Marvin Macatumbas of Albiga, Siaton, Negros Oriental''' was murdered by assassins dressed in bullet-proof vests and dark motorcycle helmets. During the Marcos years in the 70’s and 80’s, Marvin’s grandfather Nicanor Macatumbas was granted land holdings for copra and rice due to the '''Agrarian Reform Act''' of that era. '''Marvin Macatumbas''' was '''not''' known to be involved in illegal drugs but he was an important ROOSTER FARM helper and the owner of valid and LEGAL cockfighting businesses around the island of Negros.

Many of the cocks and some of the farms he managed are currently owned by Canadian-Filipino or Hong Kong-Filipino relatives. '''Marvin Macatumbas''' ''may'' also have attended unlicensed venues for cockfighting, but there was no apparent malicious intent of criminality nor malice. '''Marvin Macatumbas''' was NOT known to be a thief, nor an extortionist, and had no criminal record in local Police stations. We believe he was a gentle person.

Sometime around '''January 15<sup>th</sup>, 2022''' Marvin Macatumbas attended a non-sanctioned cockfight in or near the town of Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental (south of Dumaguete). There is '''gossip''' that some of the attendees may have been local police officers who also had gaming roosters, and were actively gaming them during this non-sanctioned event. The officer involved may be a member of a local police detachment in Zamboanguita (nearby). There is no implication of malice here, and an investigation ought to have made that observes this fact in any report. This officer '''''may have''''' detailed information about the events preceding the murder.

'''Marvin Macatumbas''' apparently won a large purse of money at the cockfight venue that day, as his roosters were strong, well-fed, and effectively maintained. Marvin Macatumbas was accompanied by friends at the unlicensed venue in Zamboanguita (see map below), one of whom left together with Marvin, driving their motorcycle after the event. These people would likely all have been documented by the local police during the investigative process. The name of this friend accompanying Marvin is known – he is a friend and relative of the family, and we are sure he provided information if there was any investigation.

'''Marvin Macatumbas''' and that friend left the cockpit on a motorcycle together and went to a family barbecue in the tiny barrio of '''''Lagtangon''''', about 15 kilometers distant. Marvin was the passenger. He was followed by two assassins to a village known as '''Lagtangon''', due north of the town of '''Siaton''', about 30 minutes away, where  20 relatives and friends were eating and socializing.

Moments after Marvin and his friend arrived, the assassins arrived on motorcycle. These assassins were fully covered with easily-seen bullet body armor and motorcycle helmets. Their faces were not reportedly visible.

One of the assassins got off the back of the motorcycle and walked quickly towards Marvin, arriving very close to him, with a gun drawn. This assassin shot five or six bullets from a pistol, possibly two in the skull, and three in the chest.

The assassins escaped and were not chased, while Marvin expired in the dirt like a dog in the street. No one else was hurt, even though there were many children and women about.

There are rumors that the immediate investigation was not conducted effectively, and there are rumors that shell casings were not carefully catalogued, that the crime scene was not cordoned, and no bullets were removed from the skull or body for DNA investigation.

It is rumored that very little evidence was gathered at the scene, and that the local police may not have carefully investigated nor stored evidence due to lack of funding to pay investigative officers and evidentiary analysis.  Even the footprints of the killers have since washed away, and any tire prints in the mud there would likely have not been examined.  Any DNA evidence on the shell casings were likely not gathered.

Here is the area, with yellow pins indicating the area where the murder occurred (Lagtangon) and the surrounding towns and villages.
[[File:Area where Marvin Macatumbas was Murdered.png|alt=Area of Murder of Marvin Macatumbas|border|none|thumb|712x712px|This is the region where the killing occurred.]]


Here is a video link to see Marvin Macatumbas.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMdCWzESWbM Killers Pending Arrest]


== Responses and reactions ==
== Responses and reactions ==

Revision as of 16:53, 31 August 2022

Not to be confused with Escalante massacre.

The Negros killings were a series of targeted assassinations carried out by unidentified gunmen in the provinces of Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental in the Philippines. Some of the victims involved were suspected Communists or sympathizers. Following the killings, Memorandum Order No. 32 was signed by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea on November 23, 2018, upon the orders of President Rodrigo Duterte deploying additional troops to the provinces of Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental, Samar, and the Bicol Region to "suppress sporadic acts of violence" allegedly committed by lawless groups and to "prevent such violence from spreading and escalating elsewhere in the country."[1][2] Even after the memorandum was signed, the incidence of killings continued.[3] According to the Defend Negros Movement, the first recorded extrajudicial killing on Negros Island was Alexander Ceballos on January 20, 2017.[4] The group also alleged that at least 84 persons have been killed since 2017.[3]

Negros Occidental

See also: Escalante massacre

2018

Further information: Sagay massacre

The massacre occurred in Sagay, Negros Occidental, when a group of gunmen shot and killed nine sugarcane farmers, including four women and two children, while they were eating dinner in a makeshift tent on a farm in Sagay, Negros Occidental, on October 20, 2018.[5] The farmers were members of the National Federation of Sugar Workers,[6] and the massacre may have been motivated by ongoing conflicts over land reform in the Philippines.[7]

2019

On April 22, 2019, Escalante councilor and Escalante Massacre survivor Bernardino "Toto" Patigas was brazenly murdered by a motorcycle gunman hiding neither behind mask nor helmet. The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) pins the blame squarely and unambiguously on the "entrenched oligarchy" of the island.[8]

On August 18, 2019, a 24-year-old woman named Cristal Faith Jastiva was shot at close range by two motorcycle assailants as she was waiting for a pedicab along Magsaysay Avenue in Bago.[9]

2020

On June 23, 2020, Jose "Jerry" Catalogo of the National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW) was assassinated by unidentified gunmen in Escalante.[10][11] He was reportedly placed under taxpayer-paid surveillance before his murder.[12] On August 17, Zara Alvarez, a church worker and paralegal, was gunned down in Bacolod.[13]

Negros Oriental

2018

On December 27, 2018, at 7 a.m., three armed men stormed the house of the Isugan family in Guihulngan, Negros Oriental, and killed one of the family members.[3] A few weeks later, their house was burned down by the assailants.[3] One of the family members believed that the motive for the killing is the "family’s involvement in the peasant organization."[3]

2019

On March 30, 2019, police operations conducted simultaneously in three different municipalities within Negros Oriental, leaving 14 people dead and 12 others arrested.[14][15][16][17] Local police and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) who conducted the operations alleged that the suspects opened fire and resisted arrest while being served warrants for illegal possession of firearms and explosives.[15][14] Police and CIDG also alleged that the victims were members of the Special Partisan Unit of the New People's Army (NPA).[14] PNP Chief Oscar Albayalde asserted that the operation was not a massacre and that the people who were killed had "fought back".[18]

Karapatan and farmers' groups Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) and National Federation of Sugar Farmers condemned the incident, saying that the victims were merely farmers and habal-habal drivers.[18] As a result, the provincial director of Negros Oriental police and three other police officers were relieved from their post.[19] Human Rights Watch and UMA called for an investigation into the killings.[19] Kabataan Party-list Representative Sarah Elago condemned the killings, holding the Duterte administration accountable for the incident.[20] Elago also added that the incident brought the death toll of farmers to 197 under the Duterte administration.[21]

On April 9, the Diocese of Dumaguete called for the "impartial investigation into the deaths of these 14 men."[16] Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said that the families of the slain people "should file charges."[22]

On July 18, four police officers were killed in an ambush in Barangay Mabato in Ayungon town.[23] According to the authorities, the police officers said that there was a presence of New People's Army in the area when they were attacked.[23] Another source is that the police officers were allegedly being tortured after they were cornered by the groups.[24] President Rodrigo Duterte has offered a P3-million reward to find the responsible.[24] Duterte also visited the wake of the slain police officers.[25]

On July 24, two men on a motorcycle gunned down and killed lawyer Anthony Trinidad and injured his wife in Guihulngan, Negros Oriental. Opposition Senator Leila de Lima has called for justice for Trinidad, who, "she said, represented 'political prisoners in Negros' and 'was reportedly among the names on a hit list by an alleged anti-communist group.'"[26] The Defend Negros Network said in a statement through a Facebook account that Trinidad is allegedly "among the names on a list of an alleged anti-communist group called Kawsa Guihulnganon Batok Komunista (KAGUBAK)."[26][27] On July 25, 2019, in Guihulngan, Guihulngan Science High School principal Arthur Bayawa and his sister Ardale Bayawa were killed inside their homes by unknown gunmen. The Bayawa siblings were killed inside their home by at least 10 assailants.[28] Forty minutes later, at 1:40 a.m. (PHT), Barangay Chairman Romeo Alipan was also killed by at least 20 unidentified gunmen in his home. Guihulngan City Police Station Lieutenant Colonel Bonifacio Tecson said that motive of killing Alipan could be his joining the anti-insurgency campaign of the government.[28]

On July 26, Fedirico Sabejon of Barangay 3 in Siaton was killed by gunmen on a motorcycle.[29] On July 27, gunmen killed Ernesto Posadas, barangay chair of Panubigan, Canlaon, inside his home. The suspects fled in a white van and green pickup truck after writing "Mabuhay ang NPA" (transl. Long live the NPA) and "Traydor sa NPA" (transl. Traitor to the NPA) in spray painting.[29] On July 27, unidentified gunmen killed four persons inside their homes in separate incidents, including Canlaon City Councilor Ramon Jalandoni, former mayor Edsel Enardecido, his cousin Leo Enardecido, and Ernesto Posadas.[30] On July 28, a man named Anaciancino Rosalita, a resident of Barangay Bucalan in Canlaon, was gunned down in broad daylight, according to Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office (NORPPO).[31]

On August 15, a grade 11 senior high school student named Joshua Partosa was gunned down and stabbed in the neck by four assailants aboard two motorcycles in broad daylight in Sibulan. Barangay councilor Raul Fat and former barangay councilor Fernando Toreno were gunned down in separate places in neighboring Negros Occidental.[32]

2020

On December 15, 2020, Mary Rose Sancelan and her husband were killed by a gunman on a motorcycle outside a subdivision in Guihulngan, Negros Oriental.[33]

Responses and reactions

Philippine National Police Chief Oscar Albayalde said that he ordered the deployment of 300 Special Action Force (SAF) commandos to Negros Island following the series of killings.[34] Albayalde has also raised the possibility that the CPP and its armed wing the New People's Army, which blames the government for the killings, were responsible for the deaths as part of the group's propaganda.[35] Senators Leila de Lima and Risa Hontiveros expressed concern over the killings in the province.[36]

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) condemned the incident and accused the military, police, and paramilitary forces of orchestrating the attacks.[37] The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) called for the government to stop the killings and urged the government to investigate the incident.[38] Human rights group Karapatan said that the incident "might be attributed to the implementation of the Oplan Kapanatagan, Memorandum 32 and Oplan Sauron in the province."[38]

Bishops Gerardo Alminaza, Julito Cortes, Patricio Buzon, and Louie Galbines of San Carlos, Dumaguete, Bacolod, and Kabankalan respectively denounced the killings.[39]

Col. Raul Tacaca was relieved from his post as provincial police chief of Negros Oriental following the April 2019 killings. He was reinstated on April 30, 2019, but was relieved again in July 2019 after a series of killings occurred in that month. The Philippine National Police launched an investigation whether there were lapses on Tacaca's part in dealing with the killings.[40]

PNP chief Albayalde said on July 29, 2019, that there will be no declaration of martial law on Negros island despite the situation in Negros Oriental.[41] On August 20, the United Methodist Church said that the deployment of additional troop forces "complicated the already worsening human rights situation" on the island.[42]

See also

References

  1. ^ Esguerra, Darryl John (November 23, 2018). "Duterte sends more troops in Bicol, Samar, Negros vs 'lawless violence'". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on December 6, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  2. ^ "Duterte orders more soldiers, cops in Bicol, Samar, Negros Island". Rappler. November 23, 2018. Archived from the original on October 22, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Death comes unprovoked upon Negros Island". Rappler.
  4. ^ "Farmer with militant group shot dead in Negros Occidental". January 26, 2017.
  5. ^ "PNP eyes 4 groups in killing of 9 sugar farmers in Sagay". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  6. ^ "PNP claims slain Negros farmers' org is Red legal front". ABS-CBN News.
  7. ^ "9 killed including two minors in Negros Occidental sugar plantation". CNN Philippines. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  8. ^ "In the killing fields of Negros, the lives of farmers and activists mean nothing". April 26, 2019.
  9. ^ "Woman gunned down near Bacolod police station". Rappler. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  10. ^ https://www.pinoyweekly.org/2020/10/two-years-after-sagay-massacre/ [bare URL]
  11. ^ Burgos Jr., Nestor P. (July 28, 2020). "Family of slain Negros Oriental lawyer continues to live in fear one year after his killing". Inquirer. Retrieved November 7, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ^ "Denounce killing of peasant in Escalante, Negros".
  13. ^ "Negros-based activist killed in Bacolod – rights group Karapatan". August 17, 2020.
  14. ^ a b c "14 killed in police operations in Negros Oriental". Rappler.
  15. ^ a b "14 dead in Negros Oriental police operations". The Philippine Star.
  16. ^ a b "Dumaguete Diocese seeks impartial probe into 14 farmers' death". SunStar.
  17. ^ "Palace defends Negros Oriental police ops that left 14 farmers dead". ABS-CBN News.
  18. ^ a b "PNP: Negros Oriental operations where 14 died 'not a massacre'". The Philippine Star.
  19. ^ a b "Negros Oriental police officials relieved over ops that killed 14 farmers". The Philippine Star.
  20. ^ "14 farmers massacred in Negros Oriental, lawmaker says". ABS-CBN News.
  21. ^ "14 killed in joint military, police operations in Negros Oriental". CNN Philippines.
  22. ^ "Families of 14 farmers killed in Negros Oriental should file charges, says Malacañang". BusinessWorld.
  23. ^ a b "4 policemen killed in Negros Oriental ambush". Rappler.
  24. ^ a b "Spate of slays: What is happening in Negros Oriental?". ABS-CBN News.
  25. ^ "Duterte raises P3-million bounty on killers of Negros Oriental cops". ABS-CBN News.
  26. ^ a b "Lawyer killed in Negros Oriental ambush". Rappler.
  27. ^ "Central Visayas police identify 3 motives in killing of Negros Oriental lawyer". Rappler.
  28. ^ a b "School principal, 2 others killed in Negros Oriental home invasions". Rappler.
  29. ^ a b "13 killings in 5 days stoke martial law talk in Negros". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
  30. ^ "Councilor, ex-mayor, 3 others killed in Negros Oriental". Rappler.
  31. ^ "14th victim killed as Negros Oriental bloodbath continues". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
  32. ^ "TIMELINE: Killings in Negros". Rappler. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  33. ^ "24 Oras Livestream: December 17, 2020 | Replay (Full Episode)". GMA News. Retrieved December 21, 2020 – via YouTube. Note: Skip at 40:48.
  34. ^ "300 elite cops coming to Negros after fresh bloodshed". ABS-CBN News.
  35. ^ Caliwan, Christopher Lloyd (July 29, 2019). "300 SAF troops deployed on Negros Island over killings". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
  36. ^ "Hontiveros, De Lima raise alarm on Negros killings". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
  37. ^ "CPP slams Negros Oriental killings". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
  38. ^ a b "Stop Negros Oriental killings, govt urged". The Manila Times.
  39. ^ Bayoran, Gilbert; Punay, Edu (July 29, 2019). "Bishops call for end to Negros killings". Philippine Star. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
  40. ^ "Negros Oriental police chief sacked again amid new killings". CNN Philippines. July 31, 2019. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
  41. ^ Ellera, Teresa (July 29, 2019). "PNP chief on Negros killings: 'No martial law'". Sunstar Bacolod. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
  42. ^ "Methodist Church: Militarization has turned Negros into 'howling wilderness'". Rappler.
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