One of the two victims of the alleged encounter by the 15th Infantry Battalion (IB) in Brgy. Yaoyao, Cauayan has been identified as Waren Cadarin, a charcoal burner residing in Sitio Indangawan, Brgy Manlucahoc, Sipalay.

Cadarin, father to two children, was labeled a New Peoples Army casualty by the AFP in an supposed encounter last November 7.

However, the family disputes the claims that Cadarin is a member of the NPA.

They have already filed a police blotter to report his disappearance as early as November 4, after the victim has not come home from collecting charcoal, their main source of income.

In an interview with September 21 Movement, the victim’s family believes he may have been abducted from Sipalay to Cauayan, where he was under military custody for 72 hours and eventually murdered.

This incident comes after the reported abduction of peasant organizer Deah Lopez and tricycle driver Peter Agravante last September, also in Sipalay City. Agravante’s body was discovered brutally slain, while Lopez’s whereabouts remain unknown.

Meanwhile, two farmers were arrested by the 94th IB in an alleged encounter in sitio Pisok, Brgy. Buenavista, Himamaylan City last November 8.

One of them was Joel Casus, former chairperson of local farmers association Kahugpongan sang Mangunguma sa Buenavista (KMB). In 2021, he was also illegally arrested under trumped-up charges which have since then been dismissed in court.

In a statement, both the Armando Sumayang Jr Command (ASJC – NPA) and the Mt. Cansermon Command (MCC-NPA) have denied involvement in any armed encounters in November 7 and 8.

Human Rights Advocates Negros (HRAN) condemns the incident and calls such fabricated encounters as a justification for “the senseless killings of innocent farmers.”

According to the rights group, there have been 19 fake encounters in this year alone in Negros Island which led to the killing of 11 farmers.