Reports from Butuan City Police Office states that SPO1 Walter Suralta and PO3 Romulo B. Lagare, assigned at the Butuan City Police Station 3 warrant section went to the area to serve a subpoena and to verify the report of illegal cutting of trees at Sitio Malunay of the same barangay. The two were not in police uniform for security reasons, following reports that sightings of armed groups were seen in the area. There were reports even, according to police, that the rebels are planning to attack a community assistance center (COMPAC), located at the same barangay.
Upon their return after accomplishing their assigned task, the two were heading back to their station when upon reaching Purok 8 of the said barangay, more or less 30 armed men stopped them on their way. Upon verification, the armed men accordingly noted the two handcuffs found in their possession, probed further and found out later that they really were policemen. They were then accordingly ordered to fall facedown to the ground and continued frisking both of them. Taken from Suralta’s possession was a handcuff, his PNP identification card, a SIM pack, his cellular phone battery and a USB while from PO3 Lagare, the armed men took away his 9mm Tauros Pistol, a magazine with ten live bullets, a handcuff, his PNP ID, SIM pack and also his cellular phone battery.
Follow up and clearing operations is presently ongoing at the hinterlands of the said barangay conducted by the Butuan City Public Safety Company augmented by the troopers of the Philippine Army from 58th Infantry Battalion. The Police in the region as well as the armed forces are in full red alert particularly in preparation for the forthcoming NPA anniversary, this month.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=507391
Given that a number of armed encounters with NPA units have recently taken place in the Butuan area, the above activity is probably insurgency-related.
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