NPA ambush in Masbate hurts 4 cops
LEGAZPI CITY – Suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels wounded at least four policemen in an ambush Friday in a police assistance center in an upland village in Masbate City, a police report said.
Wounded were Senior Police Officer 2 Ariel Espiel, Leo Michael Azares, Melman Rapsing and Rosalito Apoya II, all with the rank of Police Officer 2, according to Chief Inspector Maria Luisa Calubaquib, spokesperson of Bicol police.
The victims are members of the Masbate City police force.
The victims were manning the City Police Assistance Center (CPAC) in Barangay (village) Bayombon when a group of NPA rebels armed with assault rifles attacked them around 7:45 a.m.
Calubaquib said responding policemen were still scouring Bayombon and nearby villages as of Friday noon where the NPA rebels that staged the attack could have fled. MAR S. ARGUELLES
