Suspected NPA rebels attack Eastern Samar police station

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines—Suspected members of the New People’s Army (NPA), lobbed grenades at the police station of Can-avid town in Eastern Samar on Wednesday night.

Fortunately, only one of the three grenades exploded, Senior Inspector Ricardo Nebrija, Can-avid town police chief, said in a phone interview on Thursday.

The explosion, however, damaged the windows and ceiling of the police station located in Barangay (village) 4, Can-avid town proper, he added.

No one among the 12 policemen who were on duty at that time was hurt, Nebrija said.

Initial investigation showed that three men were dropped off from a motorcycle at police station at 8:55 p.m.

They then lobbed the grenades and fled on foot toward Sitio (subvillage) Calbang, Barangay (village) Carolina, some three kilometers away from the police station.

Nebrija, who was inside his office at the station at the time, said they all dropped on the floor when they heard the explosion. He said they expected that the explosion would be followed by bursts of gunfire but nothing happened after.

He said that a civilian, Boboy Caspe, who happened to be standing outside the police station, heard one of the perpetrators shouting that they were NPA members while they were fleeing the area.

Caspe was not hurt by the alleged rebels.

Nebrija said that they did not attempt to chase the fleeing rebels because they might be ambushed after receiving information that several armed rebels were seen in Barangay Malogo, an area adjacent to Sitio Calbang.

According to the military in Eastern Visayas, communist insurgents still have a presence in Can-avid.

The town, which has a population of over 20,000 in 28 villages, has 23 policemen.