Supposed NPA raid was simple robbery, Cordillera police say

BENGUET, Philippines — A supposed New People's Army raid on a police sub-station in Loo, Buguias, Benguet by communist rebels was “pure robbery and intimidation,” Cordillera police said.

 

Cordillera police director Chief Supt. Elmo Sarona, in refuting the Jennifer Cariño Command of the New People's Army in Benguet, said (it) “was plain Robbery with Intimidation as the PNP personnel was robbed of his belongings by unidentified persons who were aboard a UV express van while in the company of two unarmed BPAT (Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team) members during implementation of municipal ordinance on Curfew and Liquor Ban in the area.”

 

Without any shots fired, communist rebels reportedly overran a police sub-station in Barangay Loo, Buguias town in northern Benguet Tuesday evening.

 

An NPA unit barged into the police sub-station at around 9:00 in the evening and took a 9mm Bereta pistol, four magazines, an M14 magazine, a hand grenade, holsters, pouch, two VHF radios, and military uniforms.

 

Sarona, though, acknowledged a wallet containing PNP ID, cash amounting to Php15,000, and other important documents and receipts; a PNP-issued Beretta; four magazines for the pistol and 61 bullets were taken by the attackers.

 

The attack, the second siege on a police outpost by the NPA in the Cordillera this year, the NPA-Benguet command claimed,  “was a punitive action for the crimes committed by the Philippine National Police against the people and the revolutionary movement.”

 

Last month, rebels overran the remote Malibcong town police station in Abra, held four police officers for an hour and carted away their high-powered firearms and equipment.

 

Reinforcing police personnel, including the provincial police director Sr. Supt. Alexander Tagum, now Davao police director, were ambushed on their way to the “raided” police station. Two police officers were wounded in the ambush.

 

The NPA said Buguias police “are notorious for committing crimes against the masses.” They said police randomly stop motorists on the highway to extort bribes and “are also involved in the sale of illegal drugs and other anti-social activities such as the operation of bars.” 

 

The Jennifer Cariño Command also accused the Buguias police of torturing and killing Antonio Licawen in Barangay Bad-ayan after he had been injured and surrendered to the police in 2005.

 

NPA rebels along the boundaries of Abra, Mt. Province, Ilocos Sur and Benguet took the name of Licawen who took the nom de guerre “Ka Leyap” as their command’s name.

 

Buguias police were also responsible “for torturing a group of punks who were hitchhiking along Halsema Highway in 2006,” after they were mistaken as rebels who raided the CAFGU detachment in nearby Mankayan, the NPAs said.

 

Sarona however argued that the issues brought up by the NPAs have long been resolved.

 

“Obviously, it was cheap propaganda on their part and was only a rehash or a re-exploitation of old and recycled unfounded issues to seek sympathy from the reading public.”   

 

Sarona said police will continue investigating the incident to find out who were involved in the raid and arrest and charge them.