On the night of November 2, two armed men, suspected to be Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) personnel, forcibly entered the Herrera family home in Sitio Balogo, Barangay Cristo, Donsol, Sorsogon. They shot and killed Honeylet Herrera inside her house, accusing her of having links with the New People’s Army (NPA).

The NPA-Sorsogon (Celso Minguez Command) noted this could be the military’s retaliatory attack on the community following the punishment meted on their intelligence agent, Darius Laya, in late October. Laya was involved in ratting residents and implicated civilians, including Herrera, to have ties to the people’s army.

Herrera is survived by her husband and one child. “The military and CAFGU deliberately killed [Herrera] to terrorize the people,” NPA-Sorsogon spokesperson Ka Samuel Guerrero said.

Ka Samuel stated that the military and CAFGU’s turning against civilians whenever one among their ranks is killed in legitimate military operations must be condemned. This action is a serious violation of international humanitarian law.

“The NPA-Sorsogon and the entire revolutionary movement extend our heartfelt condolences to the family left behind by [Herrera],” he said. The unit also pledged to continue its efforts to seek justice for Herrera and the countless victims of state terrorism.

The unit urged the Sorsoganon masses to strengthen their unity to oppose and expose the crimes of the butcher AFP-CAFGU. They also called on residents with any information about the perpetrators of the killing to come forward to help solve the case and expedite the pursuit of justice.

Meanwhile, the 31st IB viciously conducted a rally in Barangay Cristo on November 3 to cover up their crime. They forced barangay officials and residents to participate in a “peace rally.”