DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental, Philippines — Two of the three suspected members of the New People’s Army (NPA), who were killed during an encounter in Barangay Camudlas, Bindoy last April 30,2020, were laid to rest at the Bindoy public cemetery on Friday, May 1, 2020.
The dead woman was identified as Diosdada Baldado, a 54-year old, owner of the house where the suspected rebels stayed overnight.
The male cadaver has remained unidentified. The third casualty was not recovered when he fell into a ravine.
“Kadtong nahulog sigurado na to nga patay, pero wala dayon nila marecover anang gabii. Sa gidaghanon sa dugo ug giladmon sa nahulogan impossible kaayong mabuhi to. Mao nay panindigan sa Army tulo patay unrecovered and usa,” Police Colonel Julian Entoma, Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office (NOPPO) director said in an interview with CDN Digital.
(The man, who fell into the ravine, is sure to be dead, but the body has not been recovered that night. But with the blood that he lost and the height of the ravine that he fell into, it was impossible for him to live through that. That is the reason, the Army, logged it as three dead with one body unrecovered.)
The body of Baldado was identified by her husband, Dominador, 52, who told police investigators that he was not around when the encounter happened.
Read more: 3 NPA rebels killed in NegOr clash today
However, Entoma said in an investigation that witnesses testified that Dominador was seen there hours before the encounter.
A shotgun was allegedly found inside the house of the couple.
During the investigation Dominador admitted the armed men arrived Wednesday, April 29, 2020 and stayed overnight.
“Ang iyang bana amo jud ning pasaka-an og sumbong illegal possession of firearms. Namakak siya, inconsistent siya so apil jud ni siya sa nakadagan. Nibalik lang siya kay sa iyang balay ang encounter,” Entoma said.
(We will file a case against the husband for illegal possession of firearms. He lied, he was inconsistent in his answers, so he is believed to be one of those who escaped during the encounter. He just returned because the encounter happened in his house.)
Dominador is now in the custody of the Bindoy police station.
Entoma said they were checking reports if Diosdada was the same person identified as “Ka Daday,” who was seen with suspected rebels in the area of Mabinay and Manjuyod conducting house-to-house visitation.
According to Entoma, the rebels asked for food from the residents and were asking for P100.00 from the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) beneficiaries in the area.
“Mangutana sila kung kining balaya nakadawat na ba ug mangayo og kwarta para sa ila. Sa laktod naglisod na ni sila sa pagkaon sa area tungod sa ECQ. Mao ng extortion na jud ilang gibuhat sa mga katawhan,” Entoma added.
(They asked if this household had received their money [from the SAP] and would ask money from the family. In short, these people are experiencing difficulty in getting food in the area because of the ECQ. That is why they resorted to extortion, which is what they were doing to the people.)
Meanwhile, Bindoy mayor Ike Amorganda told CDN Digital in an interview that the 60 families, who left their houses out of fear, have returned home this morning after the police gave the clearance./dbs