3 Caraga traffic cops killed in NPA attack

BUTUAN CITY — Communist rebels killed three traffic policemen and seriously wounded a civilian driver at a roadblock some 11 kilometers from this city Monday night.

The attack came a few days after a certain Ka Omar of the New People’s Army (NPA) issued a warning to members of the Caraga Traffic Management Group, deputized agents of the Land Transportation Office, personnel of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and policemen who he claimed were extorting money from haulers of forest products at checkpoints.

The NPA alleged that these scalawag law enforcers and government personnel have been preying on poor tree farmers, cargo truck drivers and even fish haulers.

Killed in Monday night’s attack were SPO4 Jose Aquino, PO3 Frank Cartero and PO1 Paul Paler, and critically wounded was driver Ernesto Alvarez.

Reports said the victims were inside a parked private vehicle at the roadblock along the Butuan-Davao Highway in Barangay Taligaman when at least 30 NPA rebels fired at them at 11 p.m.

Some 150 empty shells from M-16 and M-14 rifles and caliber .45 and 9-mm pistols were found at the scene.

The attackers fled aboard a white Isuzu truck.

The NPA has been fighting a 35-year Maoist insurgency. The Arroyo administration has resumed peace talks with the rebel leadership in Oslo, Norway last month, but the two sides have not reached a ceasefire.