Guihulngan ambush anti-people: Army

From the Visayan Daily Star (Jul 26): Guihulngan ambush anti-people: Army

The Philippine Army said the fatal ambush of policemen and civilians in Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental last week, was anti-peace, anti-development, and anti-people.

Maj. Gen. Jon Aying, 3 rd Infantry Division commander, yesterday called on the people of Negros and the security sector to join hands together to defeat and destroy this anti-people, organization, apparently referring to the New People's Army rebels behind the death of six policemen and a civilian, and causing injuries to three other policemen and two civilians.

There were reports that the rebels behind the ambush fled to Bohol, as they are trying to evade the pursuit operations of the Army and the National Police.

But Aying said he believes that the rebel ambushers are still in the area, and he expects that they will get them in due time.

In a text blast message by Bohol Governor Edgar Chatto, he notified local authorities in the province of an intelligence report from Region 18 or the Negros Island Region, that a group of 15 to 20 armed men had been spotted leaving the shores of Guihulngan City, a day after the ambush, without a confirmed destination.

Aying said it was an “intelligence assessment”. There is no confirmation, as of this time, he stressed.

The police lost 15 firearms to the rebel ambushers.

The ambush elicited condemnation from local government officials, especially the families, relatives and friends of the victims.

Rep. Alfredo Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) said the ambush in Guihulngan was a “knee-jerk reaction” of the NPA “because they wanted to show that they still exist”, following an announcement of President Rodrigo Duterte that he will no longer talk to them.

Killed in the ambush in Sitio Gi-ob, Barangay Magsaysay in Guihulngan last week, were Supt. Arnel Arpon, the Guihulngan City police chief, Senior Police Officer 2 Mecasio Tabilon, SPO1 Jesael Ancheta, SPO2 Chavic Agosto, and PO2s Alfredo Dunque and Alvin Bulandres.

Wounded were PO3 Jordan Balderas, PO2 Jorie Maribao, and SPO4 Jerome Delara.

Michael Jambalos, the back-up driver of Guihulngan City Councilor Eddie Dela Rita, was also killed, while the latter and his driver were injured in an earlier attack by the rebels.

Dela Rita had already vehemently denied insinuations that he has connections with the rebels. He expressed sadness and condoled with the families of the fatalities, saying he could not, in conscience, “feed” them to the rebels.

http://www.visayandailystar.com/2017/July/26/negor1.htm