NPA Kills 10 year old Girl in Village Attack

              A 10 year old girl was killed by the New People’s Army when they attacked the village of San Pascual in the municipality of Casiguran, Sorsogon last April 03, 2011 at around 5:20pm. The terrorists led by Jeffrey Benson aka Pita fired indiscriminately towards the center of the village, hitting Rose Ann Gubat in the chest as she stood at the door of their house. She was immediately rushed to the St Peter’s Hospital in Sorsogon City but was declared dead on arrival.

         The parents of the victim angrily accused the NPAs of being inhuman. “They knew that there were many civilians in the area. Still, they fired their guns without regards for our safety.”, said the mother, Emerita Gubat, in the local dialect. She narrated that they planned to go to Manila for a vacation as she promised her child. But the incident changed everything, especially their lives.

            The residents, too, condemned the atrocity. They were outraged at what the NPAs have done. Many joined the funeral procession carrying placards to show their sentiments, braving possible repercussions from the NPAs. Also, the forced taxation has become a burden to the people, especially during these hard times.

            Col Felix Castro Jr, Commander of the 903^rd Infantry Brigade based in Castilla, Sorsogon, believes that the attack was in retaliation for the support being given by the residents to an Army team immersing in the barangay. “The soldiers have been widely accepted by the villagers for their work, which could lead to the NPAs losing control over the people.”, he added.

            This was, in fact, the third harassment perpetrated by the NPAs against the villagers. The first incident happened on election day last year during which a soldier was hit in the foot. On March 15 this year, the NPAs again fired at the villagers while they were having a dialogue with the troops of 49^th Infantry Battalion. Fortunately, nobody was hurt.

            Now, the villagers have asked the soldiers to remain in the barangay. They no longer welcome the NPAs into their territory. Rather than be intimidated, they seem to gain strength from the incident.

            “Our troops will remain in the area until our work is finished. We will continue to protect the residents.”, declared LTC Santiago Enginco of 49IB.

            The parents vow to seek justice for the death of Rose Ann. They filed charges against the NPAs with the Commission on Human Rights in Legazpi City. The Philippine National Police also filed charges against the perpetrators.

           
             A Facebook account has been made for Rose Ann Gubat. A video has also been posted in You Tube – “Long Journey to Peace”.

            With the soldiers by their side, the villagers are now emboldened to resist NPA intimidation. They are hoping that, finally, they will have peace.