The 79th IB soldiers fired at a peasant in his home in Barangay Minautok, Calatrava, Negros Occidental on the morning of April 6. The farmer’s condition is still unknown.
The military claims clashing with a New People’s Army (NPA) unit, which was refuted by Ka Cecille Estrada, NPA–Northern Negros (Roselyn Jean Pelle Command) spokesperson.
The 79th IB even alleged that a soldier was injured in the fabricated encounter. It claimed to have faced seven Red fighters, including the area’s supposed top NPA leader. It also continues its search operations against the said unit.
Estrella said that it is of no surprise that the 79th IB faking encounters out of desperation to project defeating the NPA and the broader revolutionary movement. She said this is the military’s attempt to cover up the fact that it has utterly failed in its goal to crush the revolutionary movement in Northern Negros.
After the fake encounter, the 79th IB also immediately deployed additional troops to Barangay Minautok to distribute aid and provide psychological support to residents disrupted by its shooting. The military even involved the Calatrava local government, the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO), and barangay officials to legitimize its activity.
