INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
PRESIDENT ROXAS, Philippines – At least four New People’s Army (NPA) rebels – including a ranking insurgent – were killed when communist guerrillas attacked the police office of this town Tuesday dawn.
A police officer was slightly wounded during the attack, while another rebel – who remained unidentified – remained in critical condition at a hospital in Kidapawan City.
Police and civilian authorities identified one of the slain rebels as Commander Revo, an alleged deputy of NPA Front 53 leader Commander Jasmin.
Vice Mayor Benjamine Noel Mallorca said some 80 rebels arrived at the police station on board three vehicles around 3 a.m. and immediately fired their guns.
He said the policemen on duty fought back and repelled the attackers 30 minutes later.
The bodies of three of the attackers were found sprawled near the police station, which is just beside the town hall. Among the first three bodies found was that of Revo’s. The fourth rebel casualty was found some 100 meters away from the police station.
One rebel was also found alive but wounded, and was rushed to a hospital, Mallorca said.
Senior Insp. Benjamin Rubio, the town police chief, was also slightly wounded on the brow. The police chief suffered cuts from shards of glass when the window panes of the police station were hit by bullets.
Col. Nilo Vinluan, chief of the 57th Infantry Battalion, said the attackers underestimated the police when they decided to storm the police station.
He said authorities have been on red alert following NPA atrocities in Davao del Sur in March and recently, in Bukidnon and Davao City.
Just on Monday, some 100 rebels also stormed and torched facilities of the Sagittarius Mines Inc. in Kiblawan, Davao del Sur and another SMI facility in Columbio, Sultan Kudarat. The rebels carted away 14 assorted firearms during the near simultaneous raids.
“The police were prepared, although outnumbered, they repulsed the attackers,” Vinluan said, adding that there were about 20 policemen at the office during the attack, including Rubio.
He said the rebels were under the NPA’s Front 53 led by Commander Jasmin.
Residents awakened by the gunfire said they could barely identify who the police and who the rebels were.
“I went out of my house and saw people battling each other. It was foggy so it was difficult to identify who the authorities were even at a short distance,” one resident said.
“We are sad because our town was very peaceful, then this happened,” Mallorca said, adding that the local government unit has regained control of the situation.
Rubio said they were in an advantage because they were also firing at the attackers from the second floor of the police office.
But he admitted the NPA rebels were heavily armed with high-powered assault rifles such as M-16 rifles.
“My men had cal. 30 machine gun and it helped,” Rubio said.
He said the rebels fled when another rebel ordered them to fall back, using a megaphone.
“The man who issued the directive was hit by one of our snipers,” Rubio said.
It was only after the rebels had fled that the police found out it was Commander Revo, he said. An M203 rifle was found beside his body, Rubio added.
Vinluan said pursuit operations were ongoing with the attackers fleeing to the hinterlands of nearby Magpet town, also in North Cotabato.
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