Antique police told to be on alert vs. possible Reds retaliation

From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 16): Antique police told to be on alert vs. possible Reds retaliation

The chiefs of police (COPs) in the province of Antique have been reminded to stay on full alert in anticipation of retaliation from the Communist Party of the Philippines -New People’s Army - National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) following the death of seven of their comrades.

Antique Provincial Police Office (APPO) deputy director for operations, Sup. Norby Escobar, said in an interview Thursday that this was stressed by Police Regional Office 6 (Western Visayas) Director Chief Supt. John C. Bulalacao following the encounter in Barangay Atabay, San Jose de Buenavista, Antique early Wednesday that left seven rebels dead.

“We are reminding the COPs to maximize their personnel at the police station,” Escobar said. He said that Antique maintains a full alert status with its 800 plus personnel.

Escobar said the seven rebels who died during the encounter, aside from their extortion activities, were doing a surveillance of the San Jose Municipal Police Station for a possible attack. “They were conducting surveillance so they could attack the police station at any opportune time,” he said.

Meanwhile, Escobar said that almost all of the seven casualties were already claimed as of Thursday.

“There was a lawyer who went to the St. Peter’s funeral home to claim the bodies,” he said, declining to say how many fatalities were claimed by the lawyer.

“We told the funeral home that if a family member or someone comes to claim the dead bodies they could give it to them because it is also their right,” Escobar said.

“The unidentified casualty remains at the funeral home and has still no identity up to now.”

http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1045103