NPA claims ambush of 4 cops in Davao

DAVAO CITY , Philippines  – The New People’s Army (NPA) yesterday claimed responsibility for last Wednesday’s ambush that killed four police officers in Bansalan, Davao del Sur.

Rigoberto Sanchez, spokesman of the NPA Southern Mindanao Operations Command, said in a statement that a 14-man rebel squad under the Mt. Apo Subregional Operations Command ambushed the police convoy.

The police tream was supposed to respond to a reported murder in Barangay Sibayan when the rebels staged the ambush.

A village official of Barangay Sibayan sought the assistance of the Bansalan police station on a murder case in the area. 

The four victims were identified as Police Officer 3 Jayden May Rabor of the police Scene of the Crime Operations unit of Digos City, Police Officers 1 Rolly Benelayo, Joe Narvaza and Saro Mangutara of the Bansalan police station. 

Meanwhile, another police officer, PO3 Allen Arnado was wounded and was brought to a nearby hospital.

Sanchez said the rebels carried out an order at 2:20 a.m. “to exact revolutionary justice” against a certain Marlon Lomantas, whom they claimed was a former military man “turned active intelligence agent of the 39th IB and a known drug trader” in Barangay Sibayan.

Sanchez said the first police vehicle passed by the NPA ambush position at 6:35 a.m.

“The NPA squad desisted from striking when it saw civilians riding in motorcycles in close proximity to the moving police vehicle. The second police vehicle passed by subsequently. At 7:10 a.m., the NPA squad, positioned eight meters from the road, proceeded to ambush the passing mobile vehicle,” Sanchez said.

The NPA spokesman said that after the initial five-second volley of gunshots, the NPA commander called for the enemy troops to surrender and lay down their arms.

But he said the policemen retaliated and fired back at the rebels.

Sanchez said after a 10-minute firefight the police officers were dead and the guerrillas took two M16 rifles and two Glock 9 mm pistols.

President Duterte had ordered the military and police to “unleash the weapons of war” against the NPA rebels following the Bansalan incident and the killing, also by communist guerrillas, of three civilians in Zamboanga del Sur. 

The President said that all government resources, including fighter jets and rockets, should be used against the NPA rebels. 

The peace negotiations between the government and the communist-led National Democratic Front were suspended last month after certain demands by both sides were not met.

‘Come down and talk peace’

Duterte urged rebels to come down from the mountains, stop the decades-old fighting and talk peace despite attacks against the police recently.

“‘Yung mga komunista, eh kung nandito kayo, magbaba lang kayo dito. (The communists, if you are here, just come down. Forget about hate so that we can come down and talk,” Duterte said during the inauguration of the Cordillera hub of the PTV4 in Baguio City last night. 

Duterte has suspended the peace talks since early this year but back-channeling talks are underway.

“We have been slaughtering each other for 50 years. And we are gunning for another 50 years of what?”

“Would it make you happy? Could you hope to bring down government within the next 150 years? Is that what you want? Kill one another?” Duterte said.

Assistance to families

Director Ramon Purugganan of the PNP Directorate for Personnel and Records Management said the families of the slain police officers are entitled to a pension equivalent to 50 percent of their base pay and longevity pay, commutation of accrued leaves and special financial assistance.

Also, the Presidential Management Staff will be giving P250,000 cash to the immediate family of each victim as part of the Presidential Social Fund-Special Financial Assistance.

Each family will likewise receive P1.5 million in insurance benefits. 

No encounter?

Meanwhile, NPA Regional Operational Command in Northeastern Mindanao denied a report of the Army’s 30th Infantry Battalion (IB) that government troops encountered NPA rebels last March 8 in Barangay Budlingin, Alegria, Surigao del Norte.

NPA regional spokesman Ariel Montero said no NPA unit was in the area at that time and the Army troops allegedly fired by mistake at another military unit and killed Pfc. Jhon Francis Rivera and wounded Pfc. Windyl Daayata.

The 30th IB also claimed that nearby houses were damaged after the encounter with members of the NPA Guerilla Front 16 that was the same group that kidnapped PFC Erwin Salan last Jan. 29 in alegria, Surigao del Norte.

Montero said the NPA rebels were set to release Salan but instead of giving leeway for safe release, Army troops troops allegedly continued the harassment operations against the insurgents. – With Emmanuel Tupas, Ben Serrano, Christina Mendez