Government hits NPA for ‘excuses’ in attacking unarmed cops

From the Sun Star (Jun 29): Government hits NPA for ‘excuses’ in attacking unarmed cops

MALACANANG slammed Saturday the communist New People's Army (NPA) for attacking some 100 police trainees in Mountain Province Friday morning.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte in an interview over dzRB Radyo ng Bayan dismissed the excuses cited by an NPA spokesperson for the ambush which resulted to the death of one policeman and wounding of nine others.

"I think they have one spokesperson who claimed that the (policemen) were training for counterinsurgency and other excuses. But the fact remains that they were unarmed, they were jogging and they were attacked," she said.

"Maybe they should tell their excuses and justifications to the families of those that they killed," Valte added.

With the recent attack, Valte said that police units in northern Philippines were advised to take precautionary measures.

"The PNP in that area has already warned their different units to take extra precaution, especially when they are moving as a group," she said, adding that the rebels have no mercy.

The NPA in Mountain Province has claimed responsibility over the recent attack.
Magno Udyaw, spokesperson of NPA Mountain Province Provincial Operations Command, said that a unit of the Leonardo Pacsi Command-NPA Mountain Province successfully ambushed troops of the Regional Public Safety Battalion (RPSB) of the PNP who were undergoing combat training in Barangay Kabunagan in Tadian town.

While the government claimed that the police trainees were unarmed, Udyaw said that the rebels seized 14 high powered rifles from the PNP troopers.


http://www.sunstar.com.ph/breaking-news/2013/06/29/government-hits-npa-excuses-attacking-unarmed-cops-289868