Rebels seize firearms in raid on police station in Isabela
FLORO TAGUINOD, GMANews.TV
11/30/2009 | 12:12 PM
BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya – About 40 suspected New People's Army (NPA) rebels swooped down on a police station in the northern Philippine province of Isabela over the weekend, carting away several high-powered firearms from the unsuspecting law enforcers.
Senior Superintendent Jaime Rivera, Isabela provincial police director, said the armed group fired at the Divilacan police station before barging into its premises Sunday morning.
No one was reported hurt when the armed group fired gunshots at the police station. PO2 Napoleon Bingayan, who was standing outside the police station, was ordered to lie down.
Another policeman identified as PO1 Espanto was cornered by a team of four armed men in an adjacent building while trying to escape. The third on-duty police officer identified as PO2 Ariel Curibang, who was at a nearby store when the incident happened, managed to elude the assailants.
Rivera said the rebels destroyed the locks of the room where firearms and communications equipment were being kept.
An inventory done following the attack showed that the following items were carted away by the bandits: two M-16 rifles, a .45 caliber pistol, one fragmentation grenade, one rifle grenade, three bandoliers with 22 pieces short and 22 pieces extended magazines, both loaded with ammunition.
Several office equipments, seven complete sets of police uniforms including paraphernalia and a two-way base radio were also reported missing.
Citing intelligence reports, Cagayan Region police head Chief Superintendent Roberto Damian said the armed men were trying to amass firearms. He did not say if the stolen weapons were to arm their new recruits or disrupt the forthcoming 2010 elections.
Damian said the military’s 45th Infantry Brigade and police operatives from the 204th Isabela Provincial Mobile Group were dispatched to go after the suspects. - with Sophia Dedace/RSJ, GMANews.TV
Senior Superintendent Jaime Rivera, Isabela provincial police director, said the armed group fired at the Divilacan police station before barging into its premises Sunday morning.
No one was reported hurt when the armed group fired gunshots at the police station. PO2 Napoleon Bingayan, who was standing outside the police station, was ordered to lie down.
Another policeman identified as PO1 Espanto was cornered by a team of four armed men in an adjacent building while trying to escape. The third on-duty police officer identified as PO2 Ariel Curibang, who was at a nearby store when the incident happened, managed to elude the assailants.
Rivera said the rebels destroyed the locks of the room where firearms and communications equipment were being kept.
An inventory done following the attack showed that the following items were carted away by the bandits: two M-16 rifles, a .45 caliber pistol, one fragmentation grenade, one rifle grenade, three bandoliers with 22 pieces short and 22 pieces extended magazines, both loaded with ammunition.
Several office equipments, seven complete sets of police uniforms including paraphernalia and a two-way base radio were also reported missing.
Citing intelligence reports, Cagayan Region police head Chief Superintendent Roberto Damian said the armed men were trying to amass firearms. He did not say if the stolen weapons were to arm their new recruits or disrupt the forthcoming 2010 elections.
Damian said the military’s 45th Infantry Brigade and police operatives from the 204th Isabela Provincial Mobile Group were dispatched to go after the suspects. - with Sophia Dedace/RSJ, GMANews.TV
