Another elderly falls victim to NPA's summary killings in Negros

Photo courtesy of 105.3 FM LIFE RADIO KABANKALAN LIFE RADIO PH

A 72-year-old former barangay official was shot dead in Negros Occidental over the weekend, with the New People’s Army (NPA) claiming responsibility, and marking another case involving an elderly victim in the province in recent months.

Police identified the victim as Rodulfo Fajardo, a farmer and former Punong Barangay and Sangguniang Bayan member, who was killed on April 12 in Sitio JMA, Barangay Payao, Binalbagan.

According to initial reports, four unidentified men shot Fajardo at around 4:15 p.m. Responding officers recovered three fired cartridges of caliber .45, two 9mm shell casings, and a fired bullet from the scene. His motorcycle and personal belongings were found nearby.

In a statement released April 13, the Romeo Nanta Command said Fajardo was “meted revolutionary justice” following a decision by what it described as a “people’s revolutionary court.”

The group alleged that Fajardo was responsible for “land grabbing, multiple killings, and abuse of authority,” and claimed he had “ties with paramilitary forces.” It also cited accounts from supposed victims’ families who, it said, supported the action.

The Buklod Kapayapaan Federation Inc., the national federation of former rebels advocating for peace and development, said the killing reflects a continuing pattern of summary executions carried out through non-state mechanisms. 

“There is rarely any due process in these so-called ‘revolutionary courts.’ Accusations are made, judgment is declared, and execution follows, often without independent verification. Especially now where the NPA hardly has any support, thoroughly investigating the accusations has become impossible,” said BKFI president Noel Legaspi.

Statements published on CPP-NPA-linked platforms defended the use of such courts, asserting that they provide justice in areas where, they claim, formal institutions have failed.

The incident comes amid renewed concern following the recent killing of Leonora Anguit, a 74-year-old resident in Negros Occidental who was also accused by the NPA of being a military informant. Anguit was killed earlier this year in a separate shooting incident in a rural village, with the NPA likewise claiming responsibility and invoking its so-called “revolutionary justice.” Her death, like Fajardo’s, drew attention due to her age and the absence of any formal judicial process, with both cases cited by local observers as part of a continuing pattern of targeting elderly individuals in insurgency-related accusations.

A former rebel in Negros, who requested anonymity for security reasons, said the incident has heightened fear in nearby communities, especially among former rebels. “Kun tigulang na gani, patyon gyapon nila, ano pa ayhan ning iban? Basta mapangalanan ka, delikado na. [If they can still kill someone already elderly, what more the others? Once you’re named, you’re already in danger],” the source said.