CHR-11 slams ambush of police officers in Davao Sur

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 12): CHR-11 slams ambush of police officers in Davao Sur

The Commission on Human Rights in the Davao region has condemned the ambush of police officers in Bansalan, Davao del Sur staged by the New People’s Army (NPA) last week that killed four cops and injured another.

In a press statement, CHR-11 also expressed sympathies to the families of the victims.

“We will continue to work with the authorities so that the full force of the law will be applied against the persons responsible for these human rights violations,” the CHR-11 said.

The agency added that it is currently conducting its own investigation and is continuously monitoring the development related to the incident.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte and Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald Dela Rosa paid a visit to the families of the victims in Bansalan on Thursday.

The President also awarded the Medalya ng Kagalingan, a PNP merit medal, to the victims for their “acts of conspicuous courage and gallantry in action rendered to the PNP while responding in the report of shooting incident at Barangay Sibayan, Bansalan.”

“I’m sorry that this gory incident had to happen,” the President told reporters.

He also ordered the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the PNP to go on with the military offensives.

“Go ahead, wage a war against them. Anything goes. I will allow the military and the police this time to use all available assets,” President Duterte stressed.

Davao del Sur Governor Douglas Cagas was also present during the President’s visit and condemned the killing of four police officers.

The provincial government and the local government unit of Bansalan also provided financial support to the families of the victims.

Meanwhile, the Regional Operations Command of the NPA in Southern Mindanao Region owned the ambush-slaying of four cops in Bansalan.

Rigoberto F. Sanchez, spokesperson of NPA-Southern Mindanao Regional Operations Command, admitted the responsibility of the communist rebels in the ambush in a press statement on Friday.

The ambush, Sanchez added, was carried out by the NPA’s Mt. Apo Sub-regional Operations Command.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=971012