NPAs take over highway, shoot cop, civilian dead

TAGUM CITY—Communist guerrillas passing themselves off as government soldiers briefly seized a portion of a national highway in Monkayo, Compostela Valley, and shot dead a policeman and a civilian Thursday, police said.

Senior Supt. Aaron Aquino, Compostela Valley police chief, said members of the New People’s Army, wearing Army uniforms, set up a roadblock on the Davao-Agusan Highway in Barangay Pasian around 7 a.m.

At least 50 guerrillas flagged down vehicles and conducted searches, according to Aquino.

Among those flagged down was the motorcycle carrying SPO3 Benjamin Langbid of the Caraga regional police office.

Langbid, according to Aquino, was on his way to duty from his home in Montevista, Compostela Valley, with an unidentified civilian companion on the motorcycle.

Aquino said the guerrillas shot dead Langbid and his civilian companion, who was still unidentified yesterday, when Langbid resisted being searched. Langbid was able to fire back, killing one guerrilla, said Aquino.

Col. Roberto Domines, head of the Army’s 1001st Infantry Brigade, said a civilian, who was also unidentified, was also injured when the guerrillas fired at a van when its driver sped past the NPA roadblock.

Aquino said the attack lasted less than 30 minutes and the guerrillas fled with the body of their slain comrade.

He said the police suspected that the roadblock was intended for Langbid.

“He had been hunted down by the NPA because of his penchant of going after and hunting down communist guerrillas,” Aquino said.

Domines said police and soldiers are now in pursuit of the guerrillas.

The Monkayo attack was the latest on national highways by the NPA in Southern Mindanao this year.  Frinston L. Lim, Inquirer Mindanao