40 NPA Rebs Raided Agusan Police Station; 4 armalite rifles, one 9mm Taken

by Ben Serrano

July 1, 2009

BUTUAN CITY – An estimated forty New People’s Army rebels raided Sta. Josefa Municipal Police office past 9 a.m. Monday morning and grabbed three M-16s armalite rifles, one M-14 and one 9 mm pistol and undetermined number of ammunitions, belated report reaching Caraga Police this evening.

Sta. Josefa town in Agusan del Sur is more than 100 kilometers away from this city, Caraga Region’s capital.

Caraga Police Regional Chief for Personnel Operations Senior Supt. Nestor Monton Fajura told this writer that no one was hurt and no single casualty among personnel of the Sta. Josefa Police who were guarding the police station during communist rebels’ lightning raid

Fajura said the communist rebels stayed only for more than ten minutes after which they fled away bringing along with them the snatched firearms and ammunitions.

The police official however did not explained on whether it was a complete surrender of the police sensing they are outnumbered and unaware of the lightning raid

Fajura also failed to explain on whether ther was total failure of intelligence gathering on the part of the Armed Forces and the police.This is the seventh time a police station in Caraga Region were raided by NPA rebels since 2001.

Sta. Josefa Police report claimed they received call for assistance from. Sta.Josefa National High School after allegedly the School Principal complained a number of students were bringing weapons inside classrooms.

This prompted seven policemen to respond to the call and brought along with them four armalite rifles and three shotguns to said school.

Little did they knew that the communist rebels wearing camouflage uniforms armed with high powered firearms including a machine gun they mounted at the cargo truck they boarded parked fronting the police station arrived at the police station.

One of them who went inside the police station introduced himself of Sta. Josefa Chief of Police Police Inspector Elizer Pido.

Pido at the time of the incident was on leave.

Instantly, all armed NPA rebels who boarded the cargo truck and raided the police station with firearms and ammunitions.

Caraga Police Regional Director Chief Supt. Jaime Elorita Milla ordered manhunt operation against the raiders while also ordering investigation of the incident.

Last year two Municpal police offices were raided successively by NPA rebels in tow towns in Siargao Island while another one in a Surigao town, all in Caraga Region, were the rebels carted firearms and ammunitions. (/Ben Serrano )