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6 cops killed in Negros NPA ambush ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY CYRUS GARDE
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BACOLOD City – A day after President Rodrigo Duterte announced he no longer wanted to talk to communists due to the rebels’ string of attacks on state security forces, suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels ambushed policemen in Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental.
Six policemen, including Guihulngan’s police chief Superintendent Arnel Arpon, and a civilian were killed in yesterday’s daytime ambush in the hinterland barangay of Magsaysay around 10 a.m.
The policemen were supposed to respond to a call for assistance made by Guihulngan City councilor Edison Dela Rita. He was ambushed in the barangay and his driver, Michael Jambalos, was killed.
A team of about 15 policemen led by Arpon responded on board a Mahindra police patrol vehicle, with some on board motorcycles.
However, upon reaching Sitio Masid-e in Barangay Magsaysay, about 15 kilometers up in the mountains from the city proper, they were met by a volley of gunfire from different directions.
In a speech to soldiers of the Philippine Army‘s 103rd Brigade in Marawi City on Thursday, Duterte said he would go after the NPA once the government fully liberates Marawi from the Islamic State-inspired Maute group.
“Huwag kayo masyado magkumpiyansa dyan, kasi there is a strong resurgence. Nabubuhay na naman ang NPA. Pagkatapos nito, letse itong putukan na ito, kapag naubos ang mga ulol, mag-re-orient tayo, NPA na naman. Kasi marami silang utang sa atin. Ayaw ko na makipag-usap sa kanila. Marami na akong sundalo na pinatay nila, marami na akong pulis na pinatay nila,” said Duterte.
Superintendent Carlos Lacuesta, Negros Oriental deputy police director for operations, estimated the number of gunmen at around 60.
From what the police so far gathered, the armed men had at least two M-60 machine guns.
At least five of the responding policemen, armed with M-16 and M-4 rifles, held their ground while calling for reinforcement, said Lacuesta.
Aside from Arpon, also killed in action were Police Officers 2 Alfredo Dunque and Alvin Bolandres, Police Officer 3 Teovic Agusto, Senior Police Officer 2 Nicasio Tabilon, and Senior Police Officer 1 Jesael Ancheta.
Those wounded – Police Officer 3 Jordan Balderas, Senior Police Officer 4 Jerome Delara and Senior Police Officer 2 Jury Maribao – were hospitalized.
‘DEEPER PROBE’
Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino called for a “deeper investigation into the motive of the reported ambush of a city councilor that led to the death and wounding of policemen.”
On Wednesday, a militiaman was killed while four officers of the Presidential Security Group were wounded in an NPA ambush in Akaran, North Cotobato.
On the same day, two members of the Philippines Marines were gunned down by NPA rebels in Palawan.
According to Lacuesta, it took hours before some of the bodies of the dead and wounded could be extricated due to sniper fire in Barangay Magsaysay.
Some were evacuated by habal-habal or motorcycle-for-hire drivers amidst the exchange of gunfire, said Lacuesta.
The acting Negros Oriental police director, Senior Superintendent Henry Biñas, proceeded to Guihulngan City after learning of the ambush.
Reinforcements from the Provincial Public Safety Company and other police units and the Philippine Army drove to the area, too.
Biñas said he had ordered all police stations to be extra vigilant to prevent similar attacks by the Communist terrorists.
The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) in Negros Oriental will conduct a motu proprio investigation. Special investigator Dr. Jess Cañete said he would motor to the ambush site and talk to as many witnesses.
Also, he wanted to meet with the Guihulngan policemen who responded in the ambush, including the wounded at the hospital, as well as Councilor Dela Rita.
PLANNED ATTACK
Lieutenant Colonel Roderick Garcia, commander of the Philippine Army’s 79th Infantry Battalion, said they launched hot pursuit operations against the suspected rebels.
The 303rd Army brigade also deployed soldiers to the area to prevent further atrocities.
The Army commander described the “Guihulngan massacre” as a planned attack.
Believed responsible for the ambush were the combined forces of the NPA’s Central Negros Front and the Regional Strike Force, Garcia said.
The attack against the Guihulngan police was part of a grand plan by the NPA to carry out atrocities in May, June and July, he added.
In fact, the perpetrators had already killed this year a number of civilians believed to be “informants” of the Army, said Garcia.
Biñas, meanwhile, disclosed that he personally fetched Councilor Dela Rita from the ambush area and brought him to the Guihulngan City police station for questioning.
Dela Rita suffered a minor injury on the head.
JAIL NDF CONSULTANTS
On Thursday, Solicitor General Jose Calida instructed his office to ask the courts for the cancellation of the bail bonds of the NDF consultants and recommit them to their detention facilities.
Calida made the initiative after Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza declared backchannel talks with the communists fell due to recent attacks made by the NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines.
According to the Office of the Solicitor General spokesperson Atty. Erik Dy, Calida instructed the handling solicitors to ask the courts to cancel the bail bonds of the NDF consultants, order their arrests, and recommit them to their detention facilities.
“The conditional release granted them by the courts are for the sole purpose of the formal peace negotiations. The conditions are based on the Supreme Court Resolution dated Aug. 2, 2016, and not based on JASIG,” Dy said, pertaining to an SC Resolution involving NDF leaders Ocampo, Echanis and Ladlad.
JASIG, or the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees, is an agreement signed by the Philippine government and the NDF in 1995.
It essentially guarantees the immunity and safety of individuals involved in the peace talks.
“The conditions provide that should the formal peace negotiations cease or fail, their bond shall be deemed automatically canceled,” Dy said. (With a report from the Philippine News Agency/PN)
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