The Kabataan Party-list has condemned the murder of Mary Rose Sancelan and her husband Edwin Sancelan who were shot dead by men on a motorcycle in Barangay Calamba in Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental.
Rose Sancelan, a doctor, was the head of the COVID IATF in Guihulngan City, the Kabataan Party-list said in a statement.
The group claimed that Sancelan was “red-tagged in 2017 and was put on top of a hit list written by Kawsa Guihulnganon Batok Komunista or KAGUBAK, an anti-communist armed vigilante group.
“The same list was presented in 2019 to the Senate for an inquiry on the spate of killings in Negros Island. Also on the list she appeared in was Atty. Anthony Trinidad, who was also shot dead by a riding-in-tandem in Guihulngan City on July 23, 2019,” the Kabataan Party-list said in the statement.
An initial police investigation showed the couple were on their way home when the suspects shot them in Barangay Poblacion and then escaped.
Police said the victims were rushed to Guihulngan Hospital but were pronounced dead on arrival by the attending physician.
Recovered from the crime scene were 15 bullets from a.45-caliber gun.
A police investigation into the incident in ongoing.
Meanwhile, the human rights organization Karapatan-Negros Island said the doctor was the head of IATF Guihulngan City.
Karapatan said Sancelan was allegedly named number one in the supposed “hitlist” of KAGUBAK.
It added that Sancelan was allegedly tagged by JB Regalado, the spokesman of the Leonardo Panaligan Command of NPA-Central Negros.
“Together with her on the list are Atty. Anthony Trinidad and Heidie Malalay Flores, who were killed in the past years. We believe that this is part of the liquidation operation of the NTF- ELCAC. We strongly condemn this killing,” Karapatan-Negros Island said.