As I have noted time and again, the NPA on Mindanao is very well known for wearing PNP (Philippine National Police) or AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) uniforms to infiltrate official security installations. Municipal PNP stations are a favourite target for this type of subterfuge. After that Panabo City attack in Davao del Norte Province on March 19th this year in which 1 PNP officer and 1 Police Auxiliary were killed by NPA guerillas in military uniforms, PNP Director General Raul Bacalzo issued a stern and very explicit memorandum to all PNP installations warning all personnel to be absolutely alert and maintain a defencive stance at all times. Some of the nation's PNP officers have comprehended the message, others obviously have not.
On Thursday, April 28, 2011 in Lianga, Surigao del Sur Province most of the staion's personnel were fast asleep but 1 man was busy with his daily routine. 25 year old Rodel Aquilam is the station mascot. Though he doesn't get paid the young man cleans, cooks and runs errands for the officers in the station. In return Rodel is allowed to live there but more than that, his "job" has given him a sense of purpose and has made his life seem more meaningful. Often, after serving meals he cleans and washes dishes all by himself. If dinner is served late Rodel will often leave the dishes until the early morning hours when he awakens to prepare breakfast.
So it was that on that day, at 430AM Rodel was at the sink in the rear of the police station, tired but watching out the window when something caught his eye. At first he wasn't sure that he had really seen something but even as these thoughts were forming the shapes came closer and Rodel couldn't help but recognise the rifles. Immediately dropping to his knees Rodel crawled to the station's sleeping quarters and very quietly woke the duty officer. The officer in turn woke the others and just as the first officers were grabbing their M16s guerillas from the NPA's Front 19-A burst through the station entrance and announced their presence.
In what is now a routine the guerilla in charge announced that nobody would be hurt as long as all present complied. All they wanted the man said, were the station's weapons. Before the guerilla could finish his sentence a PNP officer fired his M16 hitting the wall near the lead guerilla. Quickly the NPA left the station foyer and took positions throughout the City Government compound. The 15 PNP, and 2 AFP soldiers, from 29IB (Infantry Battalion) augmenting the station not only held their own, they managed to effectively pin the guerillas down outside in the large compound. Twice guerillas tried infiltrating the Municipal Hall located in that same compound but were repelled under the heavy fire emanating from the PNP station.
Meanwhile, having been notified of the attack the 29IB deployed and implemented 2 Blocking Force positions along the only two avenues of escape, allowing the PNP's 13th Regional Public Safety Management Battalion (aka "RPSM" which recently replaced the PNP's "PMG," or "Police Mobile Group" structure) to reinforce the outmanned station personnel. Hearing of the deployments on a captured ICOM the NPA knew that its own Blocking Force would only add, at most, 15 minutes to their Safe Exit Time. Radioing to that Blocking Force the lead guerilla confirmed that they had set capable barricades along National Hiway, consisting of huge bonfires constructed out of tyres doused in kerosene. While that stopped any AFP from making it into the town proper, the PNP's 13th PSMG Battalion was rapidly approaching from the opposite direction and so it was time to withdraw. At 645AM, leaving the compound the guerillas rushed to their escape vehicles. As the assailants were scrambling NPA guerilla Eunilio "Ka Dindo" Pison took a shot to the back of the head. The resident of Barangay Pong-on in the municipality of San Agustin in Agusan del Sur Province was critically injured and was left where he fell along with a second guerilla who had been killed. Their loyal comrades drove off at a rapid pace, tyres screeching.
It needs to be mentioned that Pison was being billed by the Government, AFP and PNP as the "Vice Commander" of Front 19-A. In reality the man is an Assistant Team Leader. Within the NPA "Teams" are equivalent to conventional "squads." In other words, he helped command a group of 7 to 10 guerillas. As usual AFP propaganda falls way short of the watermark.
As the NPA's Tactical Element was driving away from the compound their Blocking Force on National Hiway, in the town's Barangay Ganayon got spooked and took a shot at a passing Hyundai Starex van. Unfortunately its driver, 35 year old Herminia Lozada was a civilian and what is even more unfortunate is that one of the bullets fired at her van ended up wounding her in the left foot. As unfortunate as that really is, her three young children who were also in that van are all unscathed, at least physically.
That Saturday, April 30th, DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government, the entity which oversees the PNP) Secretary Jesse Robredo joined PNP National Director Raul Bacalzo in a personal visit to the station. There the 15 PNP who defended the station were each given the "Medalya ng Katapangan" (Medal for Bravery), cash awards and on the spot promotions to the next incremental rank. The 15 awardees:
1) Deputy Chief, SPO3 Dante Basada Obenza
2) PO3 Armand Baniagaso Juarbal
3) PO3 Antonieto Pesical Sarsale
4) PO2 Simporiano Camino Quevedo
5) PO2 Ronald Jarina de Castro
6) PO2 Roy Cano Sabellano
7) PO2 Ariel Osorio Aribal
8) PO1 Vergil Gomez Curada
9) PO1 Susano Egypto Vitanzos
10) SPO1 Ruben Pedrozo Gomez
11) SPO1 Cerelino Alicante Pedrozo
12) SPO1 Virgilio Jusayan Orbeta
13) SPO2 Florencio Pineda Hernandez
14) SPO3 Moreto Edera Gemao
15) (No Rank Available) Rogelio Tejero Balason
In a very nice touch, Rodel Aquilam, the station mascot was also given a medal and cash award. Secretary Robredo is recommending that the AFP consider rewarding the two soldiers from the 29IB:
1) Corporal Alnasur A.Samsuri
2) PFC. Melfer B.Yabo
The Government was especially pleased because this was the second NPA attack thwarted in that municipality within the last 6 months. In fact it was that same NPA element, Front 19-A that was repelled in that other attack as well. On October 2,2010 in Purok #5, Barangay San Isidro, that barangay's CAFGU (Civilian Auxiliary Geographical Force Unit, a Force Multiplication element manned by residents of a given barangay and its operations relegated to that same barangay, commanded by an AFP Non Comissioned Officer from a cadre battalion) post fended off a large NPA assault. Under the direction of its cadre, Cpl.Singson of 23IB's D Company, the CAFGU soldiers caused the guerillas to withdraw at the 15 minute mark.
The happiness Secretary Robredo and Director General Bacalzo felt surely dissipated on Tuesday, May 3rd. At 430PM that day a man in an AFP uniform entered the Municipal PNP Station in the town of Malitbog, in Bukidnon Province and said he wanted to file a criminal complaint. The station, in Purok #2, Barangay Poblacion was manned by 6 officers. The desk officer went to get the complaint form and as he did so 19 NPA guerillas rushed into the station, weapons drawn. At this point the AFP "soldier" revealed that he too was an NPA guerilla and ordered the desk officer to handcuff 3 of the 5 other police officers.
The guerillas, from Front 4-B, warned the officers to comply, they only wanted the weapons. All 6 surrendered. The NPA then removed their side arms as well as the station's complement of weaponry. Capturing eight M16s, three 9MM pistols, one 45 caliber pistol, one 38 caliber revolver and one 22 caliber pistol along with the station's ICOM (2 way radio with military and PNP frequencies), walkie-talkies, two computer towers, one computer monitor and spare uniforms before departing with the three handcuffed police officers as prisoners the NPA was in and out in less than 10 minutes without a single shot having been fired. Led by Lino "Ka Dahon" Namatidong the withdrawing force jogged 200 meters to a waiting Toyota Lite Ace and an orange panel truck that they had left idling in adjacent Barangay Kalingking's Sitio Manga, they uncuffed and released the prisoners before speeding off towards Barangay Mindagat. Passing from Barangay Mindagat to Barangay Kiabo and then crossing the provincial border into the municipality of Claveria in Misamis Oriental Province the guerillas were able to make a clean get away.
Ironically, back in October of 2010 I had posted in my entry entitled, "NPA Armed Engagements, Last Quarter of 2010: NPA Merry Go Round" that a Brigade Commander in 4ID (Infantry Division), Colonel Romeo Gapuz had bragged about eliminating Front 4-B. He said the Front was dead and buried. I noted then that these were "famous last words." In Col.Gapuz's defence he had barely had 60 days in the 4ID and just come out of a desk job though the attitude he expressed is all to often par for the course throughout the Philippine Military. He had made that ignorant comment at a Turn Over Ceremony at the Misamis Oriental Provincial Capitol, where 4ID turned over Local Security oversight to the provincial government. This takes place whenever a province is declared "pacified." On Mindanao only 4 provinces are pacified, well 3 depending upon the day you examine the situation since the Dinagat Islands keep flip-flopping their status thanks to a fickle Supreme Court (yet another subject I plan to post about).
The 3 other Pacified Provinces on Mindanao:
1) Surigao del Norte (Dinagat was cleaved off of this province and may belong to it again if current Supreme Court petitions are considered kindly)
2) Misamis Oriental (as I mentioned)
3) Camiguin (another Island Province, this one cleaved off of Misamis Oriental Province)
When a province has been declared "pacified" it doesn't mean that the insurgency is extinct there, only that the local government unit is able to deal with it on its own.
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