THE Police Regional Office Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) has ordered the creation of a Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) to conduct a thorough probe into the killing of a barangay kagawad and an active member of an anti-communist organization in Barangay Tambad, Cauayan, Negros Occidental, on November 3, 2025.
Lieutenant Colonel Joem Malong, PRO-NIR Public Information Office chief, said the SITG will be composed of investigators from the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (Nocppo), Cauayan Municipal Police Station, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), and other support units, with close coordination with the 15th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army.
Investigation showed that six unidentified armed men arrived in front of the victim’s residence around 5 a.m. and called him outside.
When the victim came out, Malong said he was ordered to sit down and was suddenly shot multiple times without provocation.
The victim sustained multiple gunshot wounds on his chest and abdomen. He was brought to Cauayan Health Center, but he did not survive, while the suspects fled to unknown direction.
Police recovered from crime scene three empty cartridges and one deformed slug of 5.56mm caliber.
Malong said the SITG will be tasked to pursue all possible angles, including motives related to the victim’s position as barangay kagawad and his affiliation with Sambayanan-Cauayan Chapter, an anti-communist group.
Brigadier General Arnold Thomas Ibay, PRO-NIR director, also condemned the brutal killing of the victim.
Ibay said in a statement that it's cowardly act and such behavior has no place in a peaceful and democratic society.
“We condemn in the strongest terms this violent attack against an elected barangay official. Rest assured that the PRO-NIR will exhaust all resources to ensure that justice is served swiftly and that those responsible are held accountable,” he said.
Ibay said the PRO-NIR remains committed to maintaining peace and security in all communities across the Negros Island Region and to protecting the lives of local leaders who serve as vital partners in peacekeeping and development efforts. (MAP)