Six policemen, including the police chief, and a civilian were killed in the daytime ambush staged by suspected Communist terrorists of the New People’s Army (NPA) in the mountain barangay of Magsaysay in Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental on Friday.
Killed in action were the Guihulngan City police chief Supt. Arnel Arpon, PO2 Alfredo Dunque, PO2 Alvin Bolandres, PO3 Teovic Agusto, SPO2 Nicasio Tabilon and SPO1 Jesael Ancheta, according to Supt. Carlos Lacuesta, the deputy provincial police director for operations.
Wounded were PO3 Jordan Balderas, SPO4 Jerome Delara and SPO2 Jury Maribao, who were transported to the hospital in Dumaguete City for treatment.
A civilian, the driver of a city councilor who had asked for police assistance, which resulted in the ambush, was also killed but he was yet to be identified.
Initial police investigation disclosed that Guihulngan City Councilor Edison Dela Rita had called for police assistance Friday morning, saying that he was allegedly ambushed in Barangay Magsaysay.
Dela Rita, who was riding on a motorcycle with his driver, was reportedly headed toward his farm when they were ambushed.
A team of about 15 police personnel headed by Supt. Arpon immediately responded on board their Mahindra police patrol vehicle around 10 a.m. Friday, with some on board motorcycles, said Supt. Lacuesta.
However, upon reaching Sitio Masid-e in Barangay Magsaysay, they were met by a volley of gunfire coming from different directions and apparently from Communist terrorists numbering about 60, said Lacuesta.
Further police investigation disclosed that the perpetrators carried with them at least two M-60 machine guns.
Sketchy reports reaching the Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office (NORPPO) said some of the police were immediately killed or wounded during the first volley of gunshots.
Lacuesta said at least five of the responding policemen, armed with M-16 and M-4 rifles, held their ground while calling for reinforcement.
It took hours before some of the bodies of the dead and the wounded could be extricated due to sniper fire from the Communist terrorists coming from different directions, said Lacuesta, a former Guihulngan police chief and who also hails from that northern city.
Some were evacuated by “habal-habal” or motorcycle-for-hire drivers amidst exchange of gunfire also evacuated the wounded between the NPA terrorists and the policemen, said Lacuesta.
Acting provincial police director Sr. Supt. Henry Biñas immediately proceeded to Guihulngan City to monitor the events there.
In a telephone interview, he disclosed that reinforcement from the Provincial Public Safety Company and other police units and the Philippine Army had arrived there.
Sr. Supt. Biñas further disclosed that he has ordered all police stations to be extra vigilant to prevent similar attacks by the Communist terrorists.
The acting provincial police director allayed fears of residents of Guihulngan City who expressed fear on social media of the tension there.
Meanwhile, Lt. Col. Roderick Garcia, commander of the 79th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army, disclosed that they are now conducting hot pursuit operations against the Communist terrorists who ambushed the Guihulngan police personnel.
Garcia said even the 303rd Army brigade has also deployed soldiers to the area to prevent further atrocities.
The Army commander described the “Guihulngan massacre” of the police as a planned attack by the Communist NPA terrorists.
Believed responsible for the ambush were combined forces of the NPA’s Central Negros Front and the Regional Strike Force, Garcia said.
According to Garcia, Friday’s attack against the Guihulngan police was part of a grand plan by the NPA to carry out atrocities planned for May, June and July.
In fact, the perpetrators had already previously killed this year a number of civilians believed to be “informants” of the Army, he said.
Sr. Supt. Henry Biñas, meanwhile, disclosed that he personally fetched Councilor Dela Rita from the ambush area and brought him to the Guihulngan City police station for questioning.
Dela Rita suffered a minor injury on his head, apparently during the ambush.
Meanwhile, Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino announced Friday he wants the ambush-killing of the police chief and five other policemen in Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental investigated.
In a statement coursed through the Philippine Information Agency here, Dino said he “is calling for a deeper investigation into the motive of the reported ambush of a city councilor of Guihulngan, Negros Oriental that led to the death and wounding of policemen”.
“The Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV) is ready to assist the families of our policemen who were KIA (killed in action) and WIA (wounded) in action”, he added.
Meanwhile, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) in Negros Oriental will conduct a motu propio investigation into the ambush-killings in Barangay Magsaysay, Guihulngan City on Friday morning that left six policemen and a civilian dead.
CHR-Negros Oriental special investigator Dr. Jess Cañete said will meet with the Guihulngan policemen who survived the ambush, as well as City Councilor Edison Dela Rita.
In a related development, Dumaguete Bishop Julito Cortes on Friday called on the lay faithful to increase their prayers and especially recite the Oratio Imperata Angelus Prayer Against Terrorism and Violence in the wake of the killings in Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental and other terror attacks in the country in recent days.
The Chancery Office of the Diocese of Dumaguete said Bishop Cortes is asking the faithful to recite the Oratio Imperata a few more times during the day, accompanied with sacrifice for those who are willing.
Also, this Oratio Imperata will be prayed after every mass especially on Sundays in the different parishes. (Judy Flores Partlow)
