'9 IP villagers in Panay, tagged as Reds, killed in 1-day police, military operation', 30 December 2020

Nine residents of remote villages populated by Panay Island’s largest indigenous people’s group were killed in a joint police and military operation on Wednesday (Dec. 30). The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of the Philipine National Police (PNP) alleged that those killed were New People’s Army (NPA) rebels who fought back when operatives served search warrants for illegal possession of firearms, ammunition and explosives. Some relatives said those killed did not resist arrest and the firearms and explosives found in their homes had been “planted.” At least 17 others residents of villages in Tapaz town, Capiz province and neighboring Calinog town, Iloilo province were arrested… Balmaceda did not release the names of the dead and arrested but reports by radio stations on the identities of some of those killed and arrested included former or current village officials and leaders of the group Tumanduk nga Mangunguma nga Nagapangapin sang Duta kag Kabuhi (Tumanduk)… He identified one of those those killed as Roy Giganto, former Tumanduk chair while the organization’s current chair, Marevic Aguirre, was reported missing. Six persons were killed in December 2018 and another 14 in March 2019 in coordinated police and military operations in Negros Oriental…