Armed men ‘ambush’ Cafgu unit carrying P1.7-M allowance

SAN PEDRO CITY –– The police and the Philippine Army on Thursday launched an investigation on the “ambush” of a Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (Cafgu) unit in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro as the unit was also carrying P1.7 million worth of government allowance for members of the paramilitary troops.

Two Cafgu members identified as Sergeant Erick Bas and Corporal Walter Vegas were killed in the shooting incident, while two others — Cafgu member Willy Gregorio and Major Ephraim Domingo – were wounded.

Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Arbolado, commander of the Army’s 4th Infantry Battalion in Southern Mindoro, on Thursday, confirmed the incident, which happened around 5 p.m. Wednesday in Sitio (sub-village) Naitan in Barangay Batasan.

He said Domingo’s team was on board a vehicle going to the Cafgu’s Naibuan Patrol Base in the town, when “waylaid” by armed men supposedly on board a white van.

The team was also carrying cash worth P1.7 million intended for the Cafgu members’ subsistence allowance.

The initial report from the local police quoted Domingo as saying that the armed men had taken the money, but  left the firearms intact.

In a phone interview, Arbolado, who described the incident as “unusual,” said an investigation was underway.

“We are considering all possible angles,” he said when asked if they were looking into a possible inside job.

Arbolado said Domingo and Gregorio were in “stable condition” at the San Jose District Hospital.

There are about 400 Cafgu members in Southern Mindoro and Romblon provinces under the Army’s 4th IB.

LZB