(UPDATE) 50 ‘peasants’ raid Davao Oriental cop station
By Dennis Jay Santos, Frinston Lim, Jeffrey M. Tupas
Mindanao Bureau
First Posted 13:38:00 07/03/2008
DAVAO CITY -- They looked like angry peasants -- complete with placards bearing anti-government slogans -- and authorities thought they were just out to stage a demonstration at the municipal hall of Banay-Banay in Davao Oriental.
But authorities were wrong because the more than 50 "peasants" were armed New People's Army rebels who, after disembarking from two trucks, quickly raided the police station and carted away a number of firearms and wounding a police officer.
Chief Superintendent Andres Caro, Southern Mindanao police head, said the attack happened at around 9 a.m. Thursday. The police station is just beside the municipal hall.
It was learned that the attack happened while employees of the town hall were gathering for a religious fellowship in a building just a few meters away from the police station.
Caro said the rebels were led by Danilo Nodalo, also known as Commander Benjie.
Caro said a firefight that lasted for about 30 minutes ensued between the rebels and the police elements on duty.
He identified the wounded police as Police Officer 3 Abdulnasser Persian who was hit by a bullet in the thigh.
The rebels took six M16 rifles, two 9-millimeter pistols and a .22 caliber revolver.
Tony Colmenares, a municipal employee, said the rebels apparently outnumbered the police officers who were on duty. In a radio interview, he said the rebels encircled the police station.
Colmenares, who was one of those who attended the fellowship, said the rebels asked them to drop to the ground. Some of his colleagues ran towards the rice fields out of fear.
Major Armand Rico, spokesman of the Eastern Mindanao Command, said the raid was designed to divert the attention of the police and military from another unit of the NPA who attacked two mining tunnels in Diwalwal, Compostela Valley Province early morning Thursday.
Rico said at least 20 fully armed NPA rebels simultaneously raided the Azarez and JBMC tunnels, disarming the police officers deployed to guard the tunnels.
"It was clearly a diversionary tactic of the NPA to ease the pressure of the continuous combat operations in the area," Rico said.
The military and police have launched pursuit operations against the rebels.
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