(Update) Army suspects NPA behind Davao Sur ambush that killed 4 cops

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 8): (Update) Army suspects NPA behind Davao Sur ambush that killed 4 cops

The Joint Task Force (JTF) Haribon launched pursuit operations against suspected New People's Army (NPA) rebels who ambushed members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Wednesday morning in Barangay Sibayan, Bansalan, Davao del Sur.

JTF Haribon chief Brig. General Gilber Gapay, who is also the Deputy Commander of the Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom), said soldiers conducted pursuit operations against the armed men believed to be NPA members.

Four members of the Bansalan police and Scene of the Crime Operation (SOCO) investigator of Digos City were killed when they were ambushed by gunmen in a remote village of Sibayan in Bansalan, Davao del Sur at around 7:40 a.m. Wednesday.

The PNP-11 regional office named the fatalities as PO1 Rolly Benelayo, PO1 Joe Narvaza, PO1 Saro Mangutara, all of Bansalan Municipal Police Station, and PO3 Jayden May Rabor, a member of SOCO-Digos City. PO3 Allen Arnado was wounded in the incident.

Based on the report, the police team left at around 6:30 a.m. on board a patrol car for Sibayan, which is about 12 kilometers from Bansalan town proper to investigate a reported crime incident the night before.

A murder case was relayed to the police by Sibayan Barangay Captain Eddie Dicdican.

The route was initially cleared, prompting the police team to proceed to the area early morning. However, before reaching the crime site, armed men attacked the team.

Gapay said they are still determining the motive of the attack considering that the usual targets of the NPA are military forces.

Police Superintendent Marcelo Morales, deputy director of the Police Regional Office-11, said it was unfortunate that the ambush happened when the police was responding to a crime incident. The ambush happened about a hundred meters from the scene of the murder incident.

“Tumutulong lang sila. Sila pa ang nabiktima (They were just helping yet they were the victims),” Morales said during Wednesday’s AFP-PNP Press forum at Task Force Davao headquarters.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=970083