THE OFFICE of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) in Misamis Occidental province has demanded justice in the killing of a Subanen militiaman by armed men believed to be communist New People's Army (NPA) rebels over the weekend.
A report by NCIP-Misamis Occidental provincial officer Emily Silva on April 27 identified the victim as Barley M. Gumilid, a resident of Barangay Namut Tudela town and a member of the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (Cafgu) Active Auxiliary.
Silva said Gumilid, 47, was shot dead in front of his wife, Elina, and 12-year-old daughter by three unidentified armed men at about 7 p.m. on April 25.
Whether the NPA was involved in the killing of Gumilid should be investigated, she said, noting that the victim was a government militiaman and the area is a flashpoint for NPA activity.
"This is highly probable since the surrounding ADs (ancestral domains) and areas of Tudel (have) a presence of CTGs (Communist Terrorist Groups), and what group would want the killing of a mere farmer than the NPA (rebels) themselves," Silva said.
The NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.
"To think that the victim was merely farming to feed his family before he was killed is an insult to justice. No person in his own right can take another’s life just because of empty communist ideologies perpetrated by men lusting for power," Silva said in her report to the NCIP central office.
She said it took a day for authorities to reach Gumilid's residence as the remote village can only be reached through a motorcycle.
It was Tudela town's IP municipal representative, Gukom Fernando M. Magante, who later forwarded the police report to NCIP-Misamis Occidental.
The NCIP provincial office also called on the government to assist the victim's family and sought for more protection for all government militiamen serving in tribal communities.
A report by NCIP-Misamis Occidental provincial officer Emily Silva on April 27 identified the victim as Barley M. Gumilid, a resident of Barangay Namut Tudela town and a member of the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (Cafgu) Active Auxiliary.
Silva said Gumilid, 47, was shot dead in front of his wife, Elina, and 12-year-old daughter by three unidentified armed men at about 7 p.m. on April 25.
Whether the NPA was involved in the killing of Gumilid should be investigated, she said, noting that the victim was a government militiaman and the area is a flashpoint for NPA activity.
"This is highly probable since the surrounding ADs (ancestral domains) and areas of Tudel (have) a presence of CTGs (Communist Terrorist Groups), and what group would want the killing of a mere farmer than the NPA (rebels) themselves," Silva said.
The NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.
"To think that the victim was merely farming to feed his family before he was killed is an insult to justice. No person in his own right can take another’s life just because of empty communist ideologies perpetrated by men lusting for power," Silva said in her report to the NCIP central office.
She said it took a day for authorities to reach Gumilid's residence as the remote village can only be reached through a motorcycle.
It was Tudela town's IP municipal representative, Gukom Fernando M. Magante, who later forwarded the police report to NCIP-Misamis Occidental.
The NCIP provincial office also called on the government to assist the victim's family and sought for more protection for all government militiamen serving in tribal communities.
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