A YOUNG man was shot by four unidentified armed men at Sitio Palosa-is in Barangay Carabalan, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental Sunday afternoon, February 18.

Wounded was Reymar Dagohoy, 23, of the said village.

Chief Inspector Antonio Benitez Jr., city police chief, said the victim, a sugarcane worker, was having a conversation with the four armed men around 3 p.m. when one of them fired at him, hitting him in the head.

When the victim’s father saw what happened, he went to his son but one of the assailants told him “Mga New People’s Army (NPA) kami! Amay ka pero ikaw pa ga ulo sa bata mo mag info sa mga military, mag halin ka na diri!” (We are NPA. You are the father but you even urge your son to give information to the military. Get out of here.)

The gunmen then escaped towards a mountainous area while the victim was brought to a hospital.

Benitez said they are still verifying if the perpetrators were indeed members of a rebel group and if the victim is an asset of the Philippine Army.

The police chief added that they are looking into the possibility that the incident might have been triggered by personal conflict. (GYM)