Rebels raid security agency office in Valencia City; seize firearms

From MindaNews (May 6): Rebels raid security agency office  in Valencia City; seize firearms

Suspected communist rebels raided the Valencia City office of a security agency owned by a supporter of President Rodrigo Duterte and carted away several firearms Friday night, police said.

Supt. Lemuel Gonda, spokesperson of the Northern Mindanao Police Regional Office, said at least 15 NPA rebels dressed in police uniforms ransacked the office of the Davao Security & Investigation Agency, Inc. (DASIA) in Purok 17, Hindangon, Valencity city at around 6 p.m. Friday.

DASIA was founded in 1972 by Duterte’s high school classmate and friend, the late Col. Emilio Escandor. The agency has since expanded operations nationwide.

Gonda said the rebels met no resistance when they told the security guards that they were policemen and were conducting a search based on a court order.

While the rebels were ransacking the office, Gonda said several rebels also conducted a checkpoint outside, flagging down all passing vehicles.

A policeman identified as Police Officer 1 Emilio Traya of the Maramag town police station was among those flagged down. His service pistol, a Glock 9mm pistol, taken by the rebels.

Gonda said the rebels released Traya unharmed later.

He said the rebels carted away from the DASIA office two AK47 rifles, one M16 rifle, two shotguns and three caliber 38 revolvers.

The rebels fled using the security agency’s vehicles — a Toyota Hilux, two armored vans and two motorcycles.

Gonda said responding policemen found the two armored vans abandoned along the highway in Valencia City.

In FBI uniforms

In Davao City, communist rebels who mounted attacks on April 29 also wore uniforms of a government agency to gain entry in one of three locations of the Lorenzo-owned Lapanday Foods that it attacked.

The NPA’s Merardo Arce Command in a statement issued on April 30 by spokesperson Rigoberto Sanchez, said “Red fighters wearing NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) uniforms attacked the box and plastic manufacturing plants of Lapanday Foods Corp. in Brgy. Mandug.”

The NPA said two of their comrades were killed in the attack on the firm’s cattle ranch and banana plantation in Barangay Pangyan in Calinan.

In the attack on the box and plastic plants of Lapanday in Barangay Mandug, a security guard was injured while a fish vendor who was passing when an improvised explosive device went off, was injured, fell into a coma and died in the hospital on May 4.

http://www.mindanews.com/peace-process/2017/05/rebels-raid-security-agency-office-in-valencia-city-seize-firearms/