Fifty-year old peasant Edgar Tingting, died of hemorrhage in Barangay Trinidad, Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental on the morning of March 17. He was severely wounded when 62nd IB soldiers shot him while he was gathering grass for cattle feed.

Tingting was a resident of Sitio Ngalan in Barangay Sandayao of the same city.

The 62nd IB in a statement accused Tingting of being a New People’s Army (NPA)-Central Negros (Leonardo Panaligan Command) Red fighter and was killed in an encounter. NPA-Central Negros spokesperson Ka JB Regalado denied the military’s claim and refuted having any encounter in the area.

“The NPA-Central Negros had no encounter with the fascist 62nd IB troops in Barangay Trinidad,” Regalado said. He also belied the claim that a KG-9 submachine gun was seized in the supposed clash.

Regalado said the 62nd IB targeted Tingting for their accusation of him being a people’s army member since 2012. The military intensified pursuing him in 2017 to coerce his “surrender” to the government.

The spokesperson added that branding Tingting as a Red fighter aimed to cover up the crime and evade accountability. This is a grave violation of international humanitarian law. He said the US-Marcos regime is so desperate to project defeating the people’s army and revolutionary movement in Negros Island that it has redirected armed violence against civilians.

The NPA-Central Negros ordered all its units to launch more tactical offensives to seek justice for the victims of the 62nd IB’s violence against the people.