At least 15 members of the New People’s Army barged into the office of a security agency in Valencia City, Bukidnon and took away assorted weapons Friday night, prompting the military to denounce the attack as “blatant display of insincerity in the ongoing peace process.”
The NPA fighters, dressed in Philippine National Police uniform, entered the office of the Dasia security agency in Hindangon, Barangay Poblacion, Valencia, pretending to conduct a search around the security agency situated inside the residence of a certain Joel Ariola. The NPA rebels carted away two AK47 rifles, an M16 rifle, three shotguns, and three .38 cal. revolver pistols, police said.
While the insurgents searched the office, another group of NPA members conducted road block outside the Ariola’s house flagging down motorists.
Police Officer 1 Emilio Traya, a member of the Maramag municipal police station, who happened to have passed by, was stopped at the roadblock.
Taken by the rebels from Traya’s possession was his government-issued 9mm Glock handgun. He was released unharmed.
Police said the raiding group belonged to the NPA’s Front Committee 86 sub-region guerrilla unit.
The suspects left the crime scene on a pick-up truck, two motorcycles, and two of the armored vans owned by Dasia.
Minutes later, the armored vans were found abandoned in the same barangay.
Police also detained one Luvimin Rosos, alias “Tiyal,” 18, male, and a resident of Barangay Poblacion, Quezon town in Bukidnon, who was suspected as the NPA’s lookout.
Witnessed by village officials, law enforcers searched the room rented by Rosos in Hindangon and found inside were the following: surveillance cameras, night vision goggles, sniper’s veil, camouflage raincoat, hammock, black jacket, bullcap, eyeglasses.
The police also found flash card containing footage of Dasia, which investigators believe was part of the NPA’s surveillance and planning before the raid.
In Nueva Vizcaya, a series of raids by NPA operating in Quirino and Cagayan provinces prompted authorities to install a new police director of the Region II command.
Chief Supt. Robert Guzman Quenery replaced Chief Supt. Eliseo Tam Rasco, who served the command for four months.
Quenery, a member of PMA Class 1985, took over the reins of the police regional office following a series of raids by the insurgents on April 29, 2017 in Maddela, Quirino and on May 4 in Amulung, Cagayan.
Quenery vowed to take a more proactive stance in the face of intensifying insurgency in Cagayan Valley, apart from stepping up the campaign against illegal drugs. With Abe Almirol