Soldiers of the 62nd IB and police killed civilian farmer Marlon Catacio in Sitio Ngalan, Barangay Quintin Remo, Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental, at 5:35 a.m. on April 4. As in other cases, soldiers falsely claim he was killed in an encounter between the military and the New People’s Army (NPA)-Central Negros. This claim was immediately refuted by the Red army.

In a radio interview, the victim’s mother, Rosita Catacio, stated that there was no encounter in the area. Instead, policemen from the 2nd Negros Occidental Provincial Mobile Force Company-Philippine National Police (NOCPMFC-PNP) and soldiers of the 62nd IB came into their home and took her son. They heard gunshots later.

“Catacio is not an NPA member,” said Ka JB Regalado, spokesperson of the NPA-Central Negros. The victim was a farmer and a charcoal producer in their community, he said. His killing is a heinous crime in the face of his efforts to survive and adapt, especially during El Niño.

In Negros Occidental, the amount of damage to agriculture caused by the drought has reached ₱97.78 million. Around 135 barangays in 19 towns, including Moises Padilla, have been greatly affected by the extremely hot weather.

Due to the fake encounter, 55 families were forced to evacuate to nearby communities which adversely affected their livelihood.

“Catacio is one of the many victims of killings of innocent farmers in Central Negros,” according to Ka JB. He said that this military tactic only shows the desperation of the Marcos regime to show that he has “crushed” the people’s army after declaring a State of Stable Internal Peace and Security (SIPS) in the island.