A village captain in Las Navas, Northern Samar was killed by the death squad of the 20th Infantry Battalion, the National Democratic Front-Eastern Visayas today reported.

Citing a police spot report, the NDF-EV said that unidentified persons shot and killed Nilo Ogatcho, village chief of Barangay Victory on Thursday, August 19. The victim’s daughter reported the incident to the municipal police.

The NDF-EV condemned the brutal murder, saying that Ogatcho’s killing was the 20th IB’s retaliation against civilians after one of their troops was killed in a tactical offensive by the New People’s Army in the same barangay.

Private First Class John Vincent Bocaboc of the 20th IB was killed in an NPA punitive operation after he mauled a barangay council member in Barangay Macarthur, Las Navas.

Instead of being punished by his military superiors, the soldier was merely transferred to a neighboring barangay.

“The NPA took it upon itself to punish the fascist troops of the AFP. Now, the soldiers have retaliated against ordinary civilians,” the NDF-EV said.

Barangay officials in Las Navas have repeatedly been harassed by military officials in the 20th IB, the NDF-EV added. “Civilian officials are held accountable by the military for their armed encounters with the NPA. They are threatened with the Anti-Terror Law and are forced to participate in their military operations.”#