"THERE is no single truth about what the rebel group has claimed about the death of my son."
This was stressed by Pablo Sola Jr., the father of John Paul Sola who was ambushed in Barangay Camansi, Kabankalan City last November 17.
The 37-year-old victim is the grandson of former mayor Pablo Sola of the southern Negros Occidental city.
The older Sola was reacting to the statement of the New People's Army (NPA) Southwest Negros Front, which was recently published in a local newspaper.
The statement said "revolutionary justice was implemented against a landlord" as they owned the ambush-slay of the younger Sola.
It said NPA Armando Sumayang Jr. Command (NPA-ASJC) cited the alleged grave violations of the victim, including "massive land grabbing, imprisoning and gunning of farmers, using goons and the Revolutionary Proletarian Army (RPA) to harass and threaten residents, and strafing peasants in 2014 while in a land cultivation activity."
The statement added that "the NPA-ASJC calls on despotic landlords to change their ways and stop their anti-people activities of killing and destroying the livelihood of the people."
The victim's father, in an interview with SunStar Bacolod on Monday, December 9, said they have no goons and connections with the NPA. In fact, the victim even went out alone.
Sola also dismissed claims on massive land grabbing and abuse allegedly committed by the victim to the farmers.
"My son was alone when he was ambushed. Where is the goons there?" he asked, adding the victim has no record of abusing anyone.
Police investigation showed that the victim, an overseer of their family-owned hacienda, was crossing a bridge while driving an owner-type jeepney on his way home when assailants suddenly surfaced.
The suspects shot the victim several times and fled on foot. The younger Sola succumbed to four gunshot wounds in the head, neck and back.
Recovered from the scene were four fired cartridges of .45 caliber pistol and a dud bullet of .9mm caliber.
Authorities were looking into land conflict and insurgency-related issues as possible motives for the killing.
The family, however, do not believe that those behind the killing are members of the NPA.
His 69-year-old father said Sola has been going to their farm in Hacienda Sta. Isabel, and even sleeping with some workers there, for about a year. He can be killed there if the NPA wanted to, he added.
The family further reacted to the published statement of the rebel group stating "the suffering of residents of Sitio Lumbia and nearby sitios of Barangay Tampalaon has ended" referring to the death of Sola.
"We have nothing to do with Lumbia, it is not ours," Sola said, stressing that the property in Lumbia is owned by their other relatives and not theirs.
The family, moreover, is calling for speedy resolution of the crime, claiming that the police have no "concrete investigation" yet on the killing of their kin.