DAVAO CITY — New People’s Army rebels staged a series of attacks in the hinterlands of this city and took hostage at least five policemen, including a senior official, and seized assorted firearms on Sunday.
Capt. Roda Leoncito, spokesperson of the military’s Eastern Mindanao Command, said a group of communist rebels harassed a government militia detachment in Sitio Quiman-anao, Barangay Salapawan in Paquibato District, at around 7 a.m.
The 60 heavily armed rebels who attacked were believed to be members of the 1st Pulang Bagani Company led by Commander Jinggoy.
After an hour of fire fight, the rebels overran the detachment and carted away several firearms, including nine M14 rifles, nine Garand rifles, an M16 rifle, four hand grenades and thousands of rounds of ammunition, Leoncito disclosed.
A government militiaman identified as Mario Cariaman was shot and wounded.
A civilian identified as Randy Ramirez had a gunshot wound in the shoulder, Leoncito said. It was not clear, however, if Ramirez was deliberately or accidentally shot as a civilian caught in the crossfire.
At around 11:30 a.m., a group of policemen was on their way to the area to investigate the attack when they were waylaid by a group of NPA guerrillas in Sitio Singko in Barangay Mapula.
The driver was left behind by the rebels but they took as captives Chief Insp. Leonardo Tarongoy and four others identified as PO3 Rosenie Cabuenas, PO3 Rodulfh Paceta, PO3 Abdul Azis Ali and PO2 Neil Arellano.
Both the military and police immediately deployed different units in the area.
The attack was a rare one since Davao City mayor and presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte has always been known to have open communication lines with the communists and Moro armed groups.
Duterte has been instrumental in the releases of many prisoners of war.
The guerrilla insurgency in the country is considered as one of the longest running communist movements in Asia. SFM