Reds ransack Coast Guard office in Caramoan resort

From The Standard (Nov 11): Reds ransack Coast Guard office in Caramoan resort

New People’s Army rebels ransacked an office of the Philippine Coast Guard at an inland tourist resort in Camarines Sur Tuesday morning.

Police authorities in the province said the rebels, clad in civilian attire, attacked the Coast Guard  detachment in Guijalo village in Caramoan at about 10:25 a.m.
Caramoan, with its pristine beaches, is touted as a tourist destination in the Bicol region.

Sr. Supt Walfredo Pornillos, director of the Camarines Sur Provincial Police Office, said that at least eight fully-armed NPA members took firearms, communication items and uniforms from the PCG detachment.

The rebels had four high-powered firearms and handguns, Pornillos said.

Seaman First Class Juan Ravago, the lone guard on duty at the time of the attack, was accosted at gunpoint by the NPA raiding group.

Pornillos added that aside from the group that attacked the Coast Guard office, 20 other rebels positioned themselves at the perimeter as blocking force.

The rebels also destroyed the PCG’s rubber boat to prevent possible reinforcement from a nearby military detachment.

They then withdrew and fled towards an unknown direction.

The Army’s 24nd Infantry Battalion together with elements of the Caramoan police responded to the conduct and launched a manhunt against the NPA rebels.

The attack at the Caramoan was the first incident after it became a booming tourist destination, catering primarily to foreign travelers for its beautiful beaches and islands in the Bicol Region.

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