NPA SHOT DEAD 2 POLICEMEN

Volume 1, Series 5 Newsletter Date March 16, 2007

NPA SHOT DEAD TWO POLICEMEN

CAMP RAFAEL C. RODRIGUEZ, LIBERTAD, BUTUAN CITY. Two policemen of Lianga, Surigao del Sur shot dead yesterday evening. Police Provincial Director, PSSUPT ALEX EDERA GA identified the victims as SPO1 Roque M. Lobo and PO2 Edmun Abarta, both assigned with Lianga Municipal Police Station. The two while eating at Edwin Galan Restaurant from a beat patrol, three (3) unidentified persons believed to be members of SPARU unit of the CPP-NPA approach them and without any apparent reason shot them at close range with the use of cal.45 pistol hitting their heads and different parts of their body which resulted to their untimely death. Two (2) issued M16 rifles and two (2) cal.45 service pistols of the two were carted away by the perpetrators. Elements of Lianga MPS responded to the crime scene and recovered nine (9) empty shells of cal.45 pistol.

Caraga police force strongly condemned/denounced to the highest level the recent atrocity initiated by the New Peoples Army (NPA) to police authorities in the region. Caraga PNP Regional Director PCSUPT ANTONIO DATOR NAÑAS clarified that the main task of the police in the municipalities mainly focus in maintaining the peace and order of the locality and that they are no combatants worthy of such barbaric act.

Relatedly, December last year, RD NAÑAS and Bishop Juan De Dios Pueblos during the Press Conference help at PRO XIII, Conference Room strongly condemned the use of landmines by the NPA in two separate places that killed two policemen and wounding other two. The following incident is a clear violation of the International Humanitarian Law. PINSP ENRICO B. BAMBA, Chief of Police of San Luis Municipal Police Station and SPO2 Espiridon Panganduyon Palma Sr, died instantly following explosion of landmine in San Luis, Agusan del Sur. The two on board a single motorcycle from a prophylactic patrol together with the elements of 29IB, Philippine Army, and upon reaching at Sitio Bayanihan, Barangay Robaco of said municipality at 2:30 pm on December 20, 2006 was hit by a landmine and subsequently ambushed by undetermined number of Communitist Terrorists. Other convoy motorcycles with police and army personnel engaged the enemy who hastily fled to unkown direction after the incident. Days after the incident, joint PNP elements from Regional Intelligence Division (R2) of Police Regional Office 13 led by PCI RUBEN DELOS SANTOS with four members on board in a service Tamaraw and PNP members of Malimono MPS led by PINSP RODNILO E GIER on board three motorcycles was ambushed by undetermined number of Communist Terrorists. The government troops were conducting occular investigation at Barangay Cansayong relative to the ransacking incident in the house of Malimono Mayor Clemente Sandigan by the NPA carting two long firearms. The group while on their way back to Malimono MPS, and upon reaching Barangay Punta Cawayan of said municipality at 4:00 PM on December 22, 2006, a landmine planted on the road by the NPA explode and were subsequently ambushed by the NPA. Firefight ensued more or less 20 minutes, afterwhich the enemy withdrew. Unfortunately, two policemen (SPO1 Cayasa and PO3 Ribomapil Mula) were wounded in action and were immdediately broguth to the hospital for medical treatment. Recovered in the area were 30 meters electrical wire color black and debris of PVC pipe used in planting landmine.