Suspected New People’s Army assassins shot and killed an unarmed member of the 47th Infantry Battalion in Sipalay City, Negros Occidental, yesterday, making him the second member of the Army’s Peace and Development Team killed in southern Negros since March this year.

The victim identified as PFC John Ilisan succumbed to gunshot wounds in the nape, left shoulder and back from shots fired by two suspected NPA hitmen at the public market of Sitio Cambugi-ot, Brgy. Camindangan, Sipalay City, at about 8 a.m. yesterday.

Lt. Col. Rodrigo Sosmena, 47th IB commander, said the unarmed Ilisan was shot while doing a marketing job, with his buddy, PFC Gilbert Villa.

In previous months, Army 2Lt. Jose Angelo Esguerra, 26, a PDT leader of 47th IB , also died in an ambush by the NPA in Brgy. Tuyom, Cauayan, which is adjacent to Sipalay City, military records show.

Sosmena said Ilisan, from Dingle, Iloilo, was part of the Peace and Development Teams mobilized by the Philippine Army to help local government units identify solutions to problems, especially over land ownership and tenurial concerns, of farmers in conflict-affected communities of Camindangan and Manlocahoc in Sipalay City.

In August last year, Army 2Lt. Rigor Borja and Cpl. Juanito Fernando, both members of the 47thIB Peace and Development Teams, survived, although injured, when they were shot by NPA alleged assassins in Brgy. Camindangan, Sipalay City.

Sosmena said the NPA in southern Negros is now alienated from the people, who are now aware of their manipulative and deception in resorting to desperate moves, such as killing unarmed soldiers, in cold-blood.

“They are no longer capable to launch a bigger attack, so they resort to sneak attacks against unarmed soldiers and civilians they accused of being counter-revolutionaries,” Sosmena said.

That is the price of being peace workers, he stressed, referring to Ilisan and Esguerra.

Col. Oscar Lactao, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander in expressing his sympathy to the family of Ilisan, said “ What he had fought for in the quest for peace and development in Negros will surely be continued”.

“The attack on our soldiers performing peace and development works is also an attack against the poor people in the hinterland communities whose lives the NPA does not want to improve,” Lactao added.

In previous months, two unarmed members of the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit were also summarily executed by rebels in Moises Padilla and Isabela, Negros Occidental.

Lactao called on all Negrenses to condemn the continuing armed struggle of the NPA, that has claimed the life of another Filipino.* GPB

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