The family of 24-year-old Junjun Binoy is demanding justice for his killing by 94th IB soldiers in Sitio Bugtangan, Barangay Buenavista, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental on June 6 at 2 p.m. The soldiers claimed he was a member of the New People’s Army (NPA) and that he was killed in an armed encounter.

Binoy’s relatives strongly denied the 94th IB’s accusation that he was a Red fighter. They said the soldiers wantonly disseminated lies and claimed a fake encounter.

“They showed no mercy at all!” one of the victim’s cousins declared on Facebook.

NPA-South Central Negros (Romeo Nanta Command) spokesperson Dionesio Magbuelas also denied the military’s allegation that Binoy was a member of the people’s army. Ka Dionesio clarified that there was no NPA unit in the area of the incident and no encounter occurred.

The 94th IB and military personnel self-identifying as “surrenderees” reportedly went to Binoy’s hut in Sitio Bugtangan where the executioners shot and killed him.

To make the encounter appear credible, the 94th IB planted an M16 on the victim’s body. They also claimed to have seized other weapons, documents, and personal belongings at the scene.

Binoy was a resident of Sitio Ompocon, Barangay Mahalang. He was in Barangay Buenavista at that time because he was working on a farm with his father, Judy.

The 94th IB subjected his 59-year-old father to torture, beatings, forced him to lie face down on the ground, and left him drenched in the rain while they killed Binoy. This gruesome crime have brought intense fear to the Binoy family.

The human rights group September 21 Movement-South Negros condemned the soldiers for their crime. They joined the victim’s family in calling for justice and accountability.

Under the Marcos regime, Binoy is the 11th victim of killings by state forces in South Central Negros.

Barangay Buenavista and its neighboring barangays Carabalan and Mahalang are currently under intense militarization. The barangays of Orong, Oringao, Tan-awan, and Hilamonan in Kabankalan City, as well as the barangays of Santol and Biao in Binalbagan, are also under brutal military rule. Soldiers occupy civilian communities and terrorize these areas.