Suspected NPA carry out 2 ambush attacks in Cortes, Surigao del Sur

From InterAksyon (Sep 19): Suspected NPA carry out 2 ambush attacks in Cortes, Surigao del Sur

Reports reaching Manila on Saturday indicated that government troops have launched a pursuit operation against suspected NPA rebels who ambushed two police patrols in Surigao del Sur.

The suspected NPA armed partisans waylaid a police patrol at a remote village of the town of Cortes in Surigao Del Sur on Friday morning, the police received at the Philippine National Police (PNP) National Operation Center in Camp Crame, Quezon City indicate.

At least one policeman was killed and another law enforcer was wounded in the ambush that took place at around 9:00 am Friday in Purok-5, Poblacion, Cortes.

Ambushed was a mobile patrol vehicle of Cortes Municipal Police Station. SPO4 Jesus Labastilla died, while another policeman, identified as PO2 Joy Turaja, was wounded.

The Surigao del Sur Provincial Police Office (PPO) said that four Cortes police officers were conducting a routine patrol mission in the area when the ambush was sprung by an undetermined number of armed men suspected to be NPA rebels.

Labastilla was reportedly killed on the spot, as the law enforcers fought back the attackers in a fierce firefight lasting for about 15 minutes.

The report said that the armed men quickly withdrew from the area on board a Star-Ex van and an Elf van heading north toward the direction of Lanuza and Carmen also in the same province.

The patrol vehicle managed to return to Cortes MPS driven by PO3 Rogelio Bagnol and SPO2 Venzon Sanchez after the firefight subsided, the police report said.

The report indicated that another ambush took place in the afternoon the same day, when another group of armed men ambushed a patrol jeep of the Provincial Public Safety Company (PPSC) led by Supt. Noguera, the deputy provincial director of Surigao Del Sur PPO.

The second ambush took place at around 3:30pm in Math town on a route heading toward Cortes.

The patrol jeep was passing through the area when a loud explosion went off from a suspected landmine accompanied by a burst of automatic gunfire, prompting the policemen to fire back at the attackers.

Units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) near the area responded immediately, providing air support. SPO2 Herminio Ermila was wounded and the police patrol jeep was damaged in the attacked.

Combined elements of the Surigao del Sur PPO and the Army’s 36th Infantry Battalion supported by two MG520 attack helicopters from the 402nd Infantry Brigade conducted pursuit operation.

The reinforcements were joined by troops of the Second Maneuver Company of the Regional Public Safety Battalion of the Caraga regional police command, led by Insp. Darwin Abainza.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/117754/suspected-npa-carry-out-2-ambush-attacks-in-cortes-surigao-del-sur