2 policemen killed, 11 wounded in Occidental Mindoro ambush

DEATH TRAP The vehicle of policemen belonging to the First Occidental Mindoro Provincial Mobile Force Company is riddled with bullets after they were ambushed by suspected communist rebels in Barangay San Nicolas, Magsaysay, Occidental Mindoro, on Friday that left two cops dead and 11 others wounded. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

CITY OF CALAPAN — What would have been a community outreach activity ended with the death of two policemen and the wounding of 11 others after they were ambushed by suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in a remote village in Magsaysay town, Occidental Mindoro province, on Friday morning.

The policemen who figured in the incident belonged to the Philippine National Police’s First Occidental Mindoro Provincial Mobile Force Company who were in the village of San Nicolas for a “serbisyo caravan at ugnayan sa barangay” (service caravan and dialogue with villagers) event organized by the Provincial Task Force-Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict, according to a report released by the operation center of the provincial police office.

Gov. Eduardo Gadiano was in the caravan of vehicles when the ambush took place but he was fortunately far from the police car when it happened.

“I was able to survive because we were ahead,” said Gadiano in a phone interview on Friday night.

According to the governor, they were in Sitio of Bonbon in Barangay San Nicolas and were walking toward the meeting place with several other civilians and police officials when they learned that the police vehicle at the end of the convoy left at the highway was attacked.

Casualties

The policemen were on board an open vehicle parked close to the highway when they were fired upon by an undetermined number of suspected communist rebels sometime around 10:30 a.m., the report added.

The ensuing firefight resulted in the death of Police Executive Master Sgt. Jonathan Alvarez and Police Cpl. Stan Gonggora, said Col. Hordan Pacatiw, the provincial police chief.

Wounded in the same gun battle were Police Staff Sergeants Nolito Develos, Dexter Sagun, Edwin Vergara, Michael Sualog, and Michael Enero; Patrolmen Armando Pulido and Danny Soriano; and Corporals Kim Jason Dimalaluan and Nicolas Estocapio Jr.

The names of the two other injured were not available. According to the governor, he was in another group of vehicles that included one boarded by the provincial police director.

The convoy of vehicles that included other civilian leaders like Gadiano had previously been in Sitio Quianay, Barangay Naibuan, in the town of San Jose for the same activity from Wednesday until early Friday before they headed for the neighboring town of Magsaysay.

Sad ending

“(Representatives from) all government agencies were with us because that was an order from the President; to end local communist armed conflict. We were bringing to those in far-flung areas the services. Sad thing is there were casualties,” he said.

The last vehicle in the convoy became the target of the ambush, he said.

Gadiano said he did not know for certain if the ambush was staged by the communist rebels but “if they were the NPA, they would likely own it.”

Those who were killed and injured were taken to the nearest hospitals in San Jose town but two of the injured were later transferred to Metro Manila for treatment, said Gadiano.

—MADONNA T. VIROLA