Up until the Spring of 2011 the Davao Region, or the Southern Mindanao Regional Committee was the most active of the NPA's five Regional Committees on Mindanao. Towards the end of spring, midway through the year's second quarter, Davao Region switched up its furious pace as NEMRC, or Northeast Mindanao Regional Committee and NCMRC, or Northcentral Mindanao Regional Committee both grabbed the baton and quickly picked up the pace. Building their own momentum both Regional Committtees re-established themselves in pacified areas. For NEMRC they have once again firmly established themselves in Surigao del Norte Province. NCMRC has done the same in Misamis Oriental Province.
Still, Davao Region isn't exactly sitting on the bench.
On August 14th, 2011 a blue compact automobile slowed down as it approached Task Force Davao's Sitio Mahayahay Checkpoint in Davao City's Barangay Mawab. Located in that city's Paquibato District the checkpoint is ground zero for the NPA Insurgency in that municipality. As I have well noted time and again Davao City's local warlord, Vice Mayor Rodrigo "Roddy" Duterte had long ago formed a mutually beneficial arrangement with local NPA leader Leonicio "Ka Parago" Pitao. In exchange for Parago's agreeing to keep the rest of Davao City insurgency free Duterte has graciously offered the NPA carte blanche in four of the city's poorest, outlying districts:
1) Calinan
2) Toril
3) Marilog
and of course
4) Paquibato
Duterte has honored the gentleman's agreement to a tee and with a couple of very notable exceptions (usually confined to adjacent Baguio District), so has Ka Parago. Task Force Davao was created in the Spring of 2004 after a pair of high profile bombings by ASG, or the Abu Sayyaf Group and its closely allied but now defunct RSM, or Rajah Solaiman Movement. The two bombings:
1) Davao International Airport, where the Arrivals Kiosk, a crude cinder block structure across the service road from the actual terminal where friends and family of arriving passengers congregate to wait was targetted by a very powerful IED, or Improvised Explosive Device (as in "bomb") that killed 21 people and wounded an astounding 145 more. The powerful device was concealed inside a common black backpack that was placed under a row of cheap aluminum framed seats for added shrapnel.
2) Sasa Wharf, Davao City's ferry wharf which like most ports in the Philippines is almost a city unto itself. Two young men ordered some barbecue chicken from a take away stall. As the stall workers were preoccupied with filling their order the youngmen deposited another black backpack under the stall's front counter and left with their chicken. The explosion killed 17 people and wounded 56.
In the aftermath Duterte, then serving as Mayor and fearing that the island's Islamic Insurgencies had brought their violence into Davao City had the AFP create a dedicated force to serve as the city's first line of defence against the envisioned threat by Islamic insurgents. The nascent Task Force, or TF as they are most commonly referred to, began life with some very notable Human Rights abuses against Davao City's Muslim minority. Initially Mayor Duterte blamed the two bombings on al Qaeda. The PNP, or Philippine National Police maintained that they were committed by JI, or Jemmah Islammiyah. After all, the Indonesian Islamo-fascist organisation had recently undertaken the equaly vile Bali bombing of a discoteque frequented by Australians. The group was the flavour de jour and so, JI it was. The AFP, or Armed Forces of the Philippines however were non plussed with all the grand theorising about Bin Laden and Indonesians swimming from Bali to Mindanao. They were absolutely sure that none other than Mindanao's very own MILF was responsible. For all his al Qaeda fantasies Mayor Duterte must have put stock in the AFP's version of events because he authorised raids amounting to little more than low intensity warfare against known functionaries of the MILF and BIAF, or Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, the MILF military arm, who were unlucky enough to be residing in Davao City.
By the summer more rational thinking had returned, at least locally, since Manila was pushing through with the Department of Justice charging of MILF Founder slash Chairman Hashim Salamat and a number of his underlings for the two bombings. Though the charges wouldn't last long, just like the certainty of MILF involvement, TF Davao remained a part of the local landscape ever after.
The round fired by an occupant of the aforementioned blue automobile very narrowly missed striking the head of the AFP Corporal commanding the checkpoint and sending nearby food stalls and their customers into a state of pandemonium as the auto burned rubber speeding out of the city and into the adjacent municipality of Santa Cruz.
In the adjoining district of Paquibato's Barangay Paradise Embac is once again becoming the focus of the AFP's 69IB (Infantry Battalion) in its drive against the NPA. In early July of 2011 the 69th ensconced a detachment in one the barangay's two elementary schools, Paradise Embac Annex, under Second Lieutenant Tamayo with Seargent Garcia as his second in command. The barangay, like three fourths of its parent district Paquibato is under a parallel NPA Government so that an AFP garrison isn't well liked even if it wasn't living in an elementary school.
23 year old Redan Sumaria from the adjoining barangay, Paquibato Poblacion, claims that 2LT.Tamayo himself personally beat him when he was stopped at a 69IB checkpoint, after being told he "looked like NPA materiel." Likewise, 26 year old Dodong de Jesus of Barangay Paradise Embac's Sitio Upper Pandaitan claims it was Tamayo who pummeled his chest for no apparent reason at a checkpoint at that barangay's Crossing Guinobatan (Guinobatan Bridge in the sitio bearing that same name). On August 6th Tamayao and Sgt.Garcia allegedly beat Arim Maygon into unconsciousness for no apparent reason at the checkpoint immediately outside the school garrison. Others, like brothers Rudy and Cerilo Corbito complain that soldiers from the garrison have forbade them from working their own farms based upon allegations of support for the NPA.
In most NPA influenced areas these are run of the mill occurrences. On one hand the AFP and to a lesser extent the PNP harrasses and even tortures people it suspects of collusion with the NPA (those absolutely known to be in bed with the Maoists face a much worse fate). Yet the same holds true for those refusing to aid the NPA. Said to be agents of the state the NPA treats them even worse, usually expelling them from their own communities at the very least. The result being that one is damned if they do, damned if they don't.
Vis a vis the school garrison in Paquibato District, the Davao City Council has come out on the side of the villagers though one may also posit that they have come out on the side of the NPA, in which case, to be frank, it would be par for the course. Councillors Jimmy Dureza and Leah Librado Yap have co-authored a Resolution to bar the AFP from ensconcing itself within civilian institutions with a proviso expelling them from their garrison in Paradise Embac Annex. On August 25th Vice Mayor Duterte, on his television show "Ato ni Bay," (one of two weekly TV shows) urged the pair to follow through with their fight to neutralise the 69IB. Of course there is no suprise there, friend of the NPA that he is with nearly 35 years of scratching Ka Parago's back.
Duterte said that despite the Resolution passing unopposed on its first of three City Council Readings just that week, that they should still appeal directly to the Mayor, who of course is none other than Sarah "Inday" Duterte Carpio, his daughter. Duterte however tempered his support for the Resolution by noting that IF the underlying motive is to protect the well being of the students in the school slash garrison, the NPA would never attack a school even if full of AFP so that even in trying to appear fair and balanced Duterte ended up coming off like the NPA cheerleader he is, amazing, absolutely amazing.
Meanwhile, numerous residents of Barangay Paradise Embac's Puroks #6, 7, and 8 have filed yet another complaint with the City Council alleging that the 69IB's Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Patarata personally went door to door and menacingly pressured them into signing newly formulated "waivers" allowing his battalion to ensconce themselves in schools and other public buildings. Anyone who wavered or dared to resist was then told that they would be considered to be in support of the NPA. Considering the gasoline enema administered to a suspected ASG member in Basilan Province just weeks prior, and well publicised on Mindanao because of the unusual prosecution of the soldiers responsible, I am sure that LTC.Patarata got exactly what he wanted.
Panabo City, in Davao del Norte Province sits immediately adjacent to Davao City and lies within the city's SMRC, or Southern Mindanao Regional Committee AOR, or Area of Responsibility (as in "Area of Operations"). The NPA's SMRC last targetted Panabo this past spring with the ballsy tactical strike on the municipality's CPO, or City Police Office. On Friday, August 26th, 2011 in the city's Barangay Tibungol, a powerful IED detonated at the rear of Sibubon Elementary School. The powerful blast took place before daybreak, just 10 meters from a stage spanning the rear of the school. The blast is a bit mysterious since nothing was scheduled to take place on the stage, let alone anything having to do with the AFP or PNP, the usual targets of NPA Tactical Operations. However, 50 meters of detonation cord was found near the blast site leaving little question as to whether or not the NPA was involved.
Despite AFP propaganda claims the NPA does NOT utilise landmines. A typical NPA ambush DOES utilise IEDs but ALWAYS command controlled. In other words, the IED is directly detonated by an NPA guerilla via an electrical cable extending from the IED. This allows a carefully controlled detonation and prevents inadvertant detonation by other, non-legal targets. In fact, the NPA is the only organisation in Mindanao utilising command controlled detonation. The MILF/BIAF swears it no longer employs IEDs but when it did they were detonated by cordless remote, and prior to 2002 had utilised VDIEDs, Victim Detonated IEDs, a fancy acronym for what essentially amounts to a self-manufactured landmine, pressure detonated devices of varying strengths. So, this was an NPA detonation, but why there and why then remain a mystery.
Two men were sighted running from the blast site and into a rice paddy before disappearing into the jungle. Upon responding the 10ID (Infantry Division) EOD, or Explosives Ordanance Detachment discovered four other primed IEDs in the general vicinity. If I wanted to play armchair theorist I would reckon that the two men seen exiting the scene after the blast were members of an NPA IED detachment in the vicinity to secrete a number of IEDs for three ambushes, present and future. With a novice member of the detachment aboard the detachment leader took the opportunity to teach the novice how to to prime an IED for detonation. The site, behind the school was out of the way and shielded from the road upon which the IED probably would have been placed. An inadvertant detonation spooked them and they quickly escaped without retrieving their four other primed IEDs. Anyway, just a theory.
Showing posts with label Panabo City. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Panabo City. Show all posts
Monday, August 29, 2011
Friday, August 12, 2011
NPA Armed Contacts for the Third Quarter of 2011, Part I: Attack on Trento by Front 3 and Front 20
Charity Galvez grew up in the municipality of San Francisco, or as locals usually call it, San Franz, in the province of Agusan del Sur. Like most members of her Bisaya ethnicity, or those of means anyway, she was afforded a parochial education. In the late-1970s/early-1980s that meant boarding at Father Saturnino Urios College in Northeast Mindanao's largest population centre, Butuan City, in Agusan del Norte Province. Moving onto university Charity pursued, and gained, a degree in Education, realising her chilhood dream to teach and help others. Returning to her alma mater, Father Urios, Charity spent 8 years teaching young people.
Along the way Ms.Galvez ended up marrying her childhood sweetheart who had himself gained a job with the San Franz city government, ensuring that the town's municipal water supply remained safe and secure. With encouragement from her husband Ms.Galvez returned to university part time where she pursued a newly developed but avid interest in Criminology. By 2000 Charity had decided to change direction career wise and applied with the PNP, or Philippine National Police, hoping to be able to use her credentials in one capacity or another. In 2002 Ms. Galvez was given that chance when the PNP hired her as a technician and deployed her to the Agusan del Sur PPO, or Police Provincial Office in the provincial capital of Prosperidad.
By 2008 the highly determined woman wanted more and was able to take advantage of the PNP's Lateral Entry programme that affords PNP personnel the opportunity to laterally transfer departments while retaining accrued sniority and/or rank. This enabled Ms.Galvez to quickly rise to the PNP's second highest field rank, Inspector. Assigned to investigate criminal incidents throughout the province she was recognised as an able and dedicated officer. In April of 2011, just after returning to duty after giving birth the month before, she was named Chief of the Trento MPO, or Municipal Police Office. It was seen as a natural fit seeing as how the town of Trento sits immediately south of her hometown, San Franz.
Given a fifteen man garrison situated in the town's municipal compound in Barangay Poblacion she dove right into the thick of things by directing her force to construct fire positions throughout the compound, especially a large pile of tyres to the left of the MPO building, the compound's most vulnerable position. With an NPA attack on the Panabo City City Police Office having just taken place on March 20th Inspector Chief Galvez knew she needed to take a proactive stance. How much more so when on April 28th, just after having assumed command, another NPA attack against an MPO/CPO took place. Though the attack in the municipality of Lianga, in the adjoining province of Surigao del Sur had been unsuccessful, the first one, in nearby Panabo City, ended with the NPA overrunning that municipality's garrison resulting in the NPA capturing weapons and breaking morale. Moreover, that town's police force was decimated by PNP brass with noone suffering more than the Panabo City Chief of Police vis a vis the principle of Command Responsibility being first and foremost when the heads began to roll.
Hiring a yaya, or nanny, Chief Galvez began bringing her infant daughter (and yaya) to work where the three shared Chief Galvez's cramped corner office as a sort of home away from home. On July 30th, 2011 the three had once again settled in for a night's sleep. It had been an incredibly hectic day for Ms.Galvez. The Provincial Chief of Police had finally granted her long standing request for reinforcements and had deployed two teams from Agusan del Sur's PPSCs, or Police Public Safety Companies. The municipality's southern sectors were badly in need of men to handle the rampant illegal logging trade. Aside from the violence that goes hand in hand with any illicit trade the NPA had attacked a logging checkpoint in Trento's Barangay Pulang Lupa. Killing three men the guerillas also captured two police officers. Though the attack took place on February 1st, two months before Chief Galvez assumed command, it was a surefire reminder of the municipality - and her job's vulnerabilities.
At 330AM, July 31st, a police sentry noticed 3 Isuzu Forward trucks drive slowly into the centre of town and park at 3 strategic points. Recognising that something was wrong he alerted fellow officers but before any of them could take appropriate action M203 rifle grenades began hitting inside the compound. The 40 guerillas from Front 3 (Alejandro Lenaja Command, Southern Mindanao Regional Committee or SMRC) and Front 20 (Conrado Heredia Command, SMRC) had taken up positions around the compound's perimeter and in an unusual touch, employed an M60 whose massive rounds began pockmarking the facade of the station itself.
Awoken from her fitful sleep Inspector Chief Galvez quickly ushered her yaya and infant daughter into a small closet at the rear of her office. She then grabbed an M16 and attempted to take a position at the station's front door in between each massive barrage from the NPA's M60. Bolstered by the two PPSC teams that had been deployed to her garrison just the afternoon before Inspector Galvez was able to stave off the assault while only losing one man and two officers suffering only moderate wounds. The lone fatality, Salvador Ralla Jr. of Trento, was the station's gofer. Each MPO, or CPO in the case of cities, unofficially employs at least one local civilian as a general helper and an errand boy. Mr.Ralla was killed after engaging the attackers with an M16. Unable to overun the compound the NPA guerillas split into small groups and withdrew in different directions, in the trucks which were abandoned a short distance from the town centre. Then, still in 3 groups, the NPA withdrew into the Diwata Mountains towards the northeast.
The two wounded police officers, a PO1 with the newly deployed PPSC teams and a PO3 with the MPO were bundled into a PNP van and rushed north for the long 120 kilometer ride to Butuan City for treatment. However, as the van reached Manat Bridge, or Crossing Manat as it is known locally, an NPA detachment serving as a Blocking Force detonated an IED (Improvised Explosive Device, as in "bomb") in an ambush. The van was untouched by the explosion and quickly sped away unscathed, continuing on to Butuan City. Likewise, not long after an Armed Forces of the Philippines, or AFP truck from the 75IB (Infantry Battalion) ALSO averted catastrophe from a second IED detonation on the opposite end of the bridge as it rushed into Trento to reinforce the MPO. Like the first attempted ambush the latter incident failed to incur any casualties or damage.
Unfortunately, a second NPA detachment, part of an estimated 200 man force positioned strategically around the town's main entrances managed to launch a more successful ambush. Serving as a Blocking Force near that aforementioned logging checkpoint in Barangay Pulang Lupa, it ambushed a truck carrying CAFGU CAAs into town as reinforcements. CAFGU, or Civilian Auxiliary Force Geographical Unit is the cornerstone of the AFP's COIN, or Counterinsurgency programme. A military reserve unit under the command of a cadre battalion from the AFP, it is restricted to operating within a certain municipality wherein all soldiers serving in it reside. CAFGU soldiers are known as CAAs, or Civilian Active Auxiliaries. In this case the CAFGU detachment in question was from the adjoining municipality of Santa Josefa. As the truck carrying the CAAs sped through Pulang Lupa the NPA iniated a barrage of rifle fire that killed one CAA, Vergilio Perocho.
In clearing the town centre the 75IB recovered an abandoned utility van used by one of the NPA Blocking Force detachments, but nothing more. As usual the NPA managed to avoid hundreds of "pursuing" soldiers, police officers, and CAAs. The next day, August 1st, 2 gunshot victims entered Bislig District Hospital in Bislig City, in Surigao del Sur Province, nearly 90 kilometers from the Trento municipal compound. Bislig City's CPO arrested both men:
1) Sammy Calibayan, age 35, of Barangay La Fortuna in the municipality of Veruela, in Agusan del Sur Province
2) Ricky M. Salde, age 28, from the municipality of New Bataan in Compostela Valley, or Comval Province.
In a weak attempt to protect co-operating hospital personnel the PNP claims that a vigiliant civilian sent an SMS (text message) concerning the two gunshot victims. Taking both men from the hospital the officers transported the two suspects to CPO Headquarters where both reportedly admitted having taken part in the attack in Trento. Of course such admissions hold absolutely no value. To offer a tad bit of perspective, in a recent incident I will be posting about a bit later, a suspected Abu Sayyaf guerilla was nabbed by AFP Intelligence agents in Basilan Province. To gain HIS admission they chained him spread eagled and naked. Then using a 1 liter glass cola bottle they gave the man a gasoline enema. As if that wasn't enough they then used an oxy-acetylene torch on the suspect's genitals and face. Even worse, this took place BEFORE the encounter on Jolo Island that killed seven AFP Marines, two of whom were then decapitated. Again, an incident I will cover soon.
On Monday, August 8th, the PNP held its 110th Anniversary Celebration at its headquarters in Metro Manila's Camp Crame. Inspector Chief Galvez was on hand to join in the festivities. Indeed, she was the focal point of the celebration as President Aquino awarded her the PNP's highest decoration, the Medal for Bravery for "conspicuous courage and gallantry in action." In addition, while at the podium, the President turned to Secretary Jesse Robredo of the DILG and asked him why he hadn't also promoted Ms.Galvez. The DILG, or Department of the Interior and Local Government is the branch under which the PNP serves. By the end of the President's remarks Inspector Chief Galvez had evolved into Senior Inspector Chief Galvez, having obtained the PNP's highest field rank in just three years of actual service.
That same day, Monday, August 8th, the AFP began a major push against the NPA in and around Trento. Using two MG520 helicopter gunships with two Hueys on site the 75IB led the way. Unfortunately a corporal from the 26IB and a CAA from the Bagani Force were both killed:
1) Corporal Antonio Manser T.Morgadez, Cadre Officer, 26IB
2) CAA Ricky Lantong, Bagani Force, aged 40 and a resident of Barangay Kasapa in the municipality of La Paz in Agusan del Sur Province
The two fatalities took place at Sitio Kilometer 2 in the municipality of Loreto's Barangay Binocayan when a Bagani Force detachment under Datu Dario "Malampuson" Otaza with cadre officer Corporal Morgadez commanding stumbled across an NPA detachment from Front 34 (Davao-Agusan Command, Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee, or NEMRC) at 7AM. The subsequent firefight lasted until 9AM and resumed again at 5PM after a second chance encounter before petering out just after 10PM that same night. The AFP has been proudly declaring that it killed 13 NPA guerillas between those two engagements but of course they haven't recovered a single body.
Along the way Ms.Galvez ended up marrying her childhood sweetheart who had himself gained a job with the San Franz city government, ensuring that the town's municipal water supply remained safe and secure. With encouragement from her husband Ms.Galvez returned to university part time where she pursued a newly developed but avid interest in Criminology. By 2000 Charity had decided to change direction career wise and applied with the PNP, or Philippine National Police, hoping to be able to use her credentials in one capacity or another. In 2002 Ms. Galvez was given that chance when the PNP hired her as a technician and deployed her to the Agusan del Sur PPO, or Police Provincial Office in the provincial capital of Prosperidad.
By 2008 the highly determined woman wanted more and was able to take advantage of the PNP's Lateral Entry programme that affords PNP personnel the opportunity to laterally transfer departments while retaining accrued sniority and/or rank. This enabled Ms.Galvez to quickly rise to the PNP's second highest field rank, Inspector. Assigned to investigate criminal incidents throughout the province she was recognised as an able and dedicated officer. In April of 2011, just after returning to duty after giving birth the month before, she was named Chief of the Trento MPO, or Municipal Police Office. It was seen as a natural fit seeing as how the town of Trento sits immediately south of her hometown, San Franz.
Given a fifteen man garrison situated in the town's municipal compound in Barangay Poblacion she dove right into the thick of things by directing her force to construct fire positions throughout the compound, especially a large pile of tyres to the left of the MPO building, the compound's most vulnerable position. With an NPA attack on the Panabo City City Police Office having just taken place on March 20th Inspector Chief Galvez knew she needed to take a proactive stance. How much more so when on April 28th, just after having assumed command, another NPA attack against an MPO/CPO took place. Though the attack in the municipality of Lianga, in the adjoining province of Surigao del Sur had been unsuccessful, the first one, in nearby Panabo City, ended with the NPA overrunning that municipality's garrison resulting in the NPA capturing weapons and breaking morale. Moreover, that town's police force was decimated by PNP brass with noone suffering more than the Panabo City Chief of Police vis a vis the principle of Command Responsibility being first and foremost when the heads began to roll.
Hiring a yaya, or nanny, Chief Galvez began bringing her infant daughter (and yaya) to work where the three shared Chief Galvez's cramped corner office as a sort of home away from home. On July 30th, 2011 the three had once again settled in for a night's sleep. It had been an incredibly hectic day for Ms.Galvez. The Provincial Chief of Police had finally granted her long standing request for reinforcements and had deployed two teams from Agusan del Sur's PPSCs, or Police Public Safety Companies. The municipality's southern sectors were badly in need of men to handle the rampant illegal logging trade. Aside from the violence that goes hand in hand with any illicit trade the NPA had attacked a logging checkpoint in Trento's Barangay Pulang Lupa. Killing three men the guerillas also captured two police officers. Though the attack took place on February 1st, two months before Chief Galvez assumed command, it was a surefire reminder of the municipality - and her job's vulnerabilities.
At 330AM, July 31st, a police sentry noticed 3 Isuzu Forward trucks drive slowly into the centre of town and park at 3 strategic points. Recognising that something was wrong he alerted fellow officers but before any of them could take appropriate action M203 rifle grenades began hitting inside the compound. The 40 guerillas from Front 3 (Alejandro Lenaja Command, Southern Mindanao Regional Committee or SMRC) and Front 20 (Conrado Heredia Command, SMRC) had taken up positions around the compound's perimeter and in an unusual touch, employed an M60 whose massive rounds began pockmarking the facade of the station itself.
Awoken from her fitful sleep Inspector Chief Galvez quickly ushered her yaya and infant daughter into a small closet at the rear of her office. She then grabbed an M16 and attempted to take a position at the station's front door in between each massive barrage from the NPA's M60. Bolstered by the two PPSC teams that had been deployed to her garrison just the afternoon before Inspector Galvez was able to stave off the assault while only losing one man and two officers suffering only moderate wounds. The lone fatality, Salvador Ralla Jr. of Trento, was the station's gofer. Each MPO, or CPO in the case of cities, unofficially employs at least one local civilian as a general helper and an errand boy. Mr.Ralla was killed after engaging the attackers with an M16. Unable to overun the compound the NPA guerillas split into small groups and withdrew in different directions, in the trucks which were abandoned a short distance from the town centre. Then, still in 3 groups, the NPA withdrew into the Diwata Mountains towards the northeast.
The two wounded police officers, a PO1 with the newly deployed PPSC teams and a PO3 with the MPO were bundled into a PNP van and rushed north for the long 120 kilometer ride to Butuan City for treatment. However, as the van reached Manat Bridge, or Crossing Manat as it is known locally, an NPA detachment serving as a Blocking Force detonated an IED (Improvised Explosive Device, as in "bomb") in an ambush. The van was untouched by the explosion and quickly sped away unscathed, continuing on to Butuan City. Likewise, not long after an Armed Forces of the Philippines, or AFP truck from the 75IB (Infantry Battalion) ALSO averted catastrophe from a second IED detonation on the opposite end of the bridge as it rushed into Trento to reinforce the MPO. Like the first attempted ambush the latter incident failed to incur any casualties or damage.
Unfortunately, a second NPA detachment, part of an estimated 200 man force positioned strategically around the town's main entrances managed to launch a more successful ambush. Serving as a Blocking Force near that aforementioned logging checkpoint in Barangay Pulang Lupa, it ambushed a truck carrying CAFGU CAAs into town as reinforcements. CAFGU, or Civilian Auxiliary Force Geographical Unit is the cornerstone of the AFP's COIN, or Counterinsurgency programme. A military reserve unit under the command of a cadre battalion from the AFP, it is restricted to operating within a certain municipality wherein all soldiers serving in it reside. CAFGU soldiers are known as CAAs, or Civilian Active Auxiliaries. In this case the CAFGU detachment in question was from the adjoining municipality of Santa Josefa. As the truck carrying the CAAs sped through Pulang Lupa the NPA iniated a barrage of rifle fire that killed one CAA, Vergilio Perocho.
In clearing the town centre the 75IB recovered an abandoned utility van used by one of the NPA Blocking Force detachments, but nothing more. As usual the NPA managed to avoid hundreds of "pursuing" soldiers, police officers, and CAAs. The next day, August 1st, 2 gunshot victims entered Bislig District Hospital in Bislig City, in Surigao del Sur Province, nearly 90 kilometers from the Trento municipal compound. Bislig City's CPO arrested both men:
1) Sammy Calibayan, age 35, of Barangay La Fortuna in the municipality of Veruela, in Agusan del Sur Province
2) Ricky M. Salde, age 28, from the municipality of New Bataan in Compostela Valley, or Comval Province.
In a weak attempt to protect co-operating hospital personnel the PNP claims that a vigiliant civilian sent an SMS (text message) concerning the two gunshot victims. Taking both men from the hospital the officers transported the two suspects to CPO Headquarters where both reportedly admitted having taken part in the attack in Trento. Of course such admissions hold absolutely no value. To offer a tad bit of perspective, in a recent incident I will be posting about a bit later, a suspected Abu Sayyaf guerilla was nabbed by AFP Intelligence agents in Basilan Province. To gain HIS admission they chained him spread eagled and naked. Then using a 1 liter glass cola bottle they gave the man a gasoline enema. As if that wasn't enough they then used an oxy-acetylene torch on the suspect's genitals and face. Even worse, this took place BEFORE the encounter on Jolo Island that killed seven AFP Marines, two of whom were then decapitated. Again, an incident I will cover soon.
On Monday, August 8th, the PNP held its 110th Anniversary Celebration at its headquarters in Metro Manila's Camp Crame. Inspector Chief Galvez was on hand to join in the festivities. Indeed, she was the focal point of the celebration as President Aquino awarded her the PNP's highest decoration, the Medal for Bravery for "conspicuous courage and gallantry in action." In addition, while at the podium, the President turned to Secretary Jesse Robredo of the DILG and asked him why he hadn't also promoted Ms.Galvez. The DILG, or Department of the Interior and Local Government is the branch under which the PNP serves. By the end of the President's remarks Inspector Chief Galvez had evolved into Senior Inspector Chief Galvez, having obtained the PNP's highest field rank in just three years of actual service.
That same day, Monday, August 8th, the AFP began a major push against the NPA in and around Trento. Using two MG520 helicopter gunships with two Hueys on site the 75IB led the way. Unfortunately a corporal from the 26IB and a CAA from the Bagani Force were both killed:
1) Corporal Antonio Manser T.Morgadez, Cadre Officer, 26IB
2) CAA Ricky Lantong, Bagani Force, aged 40 and a resident of Barangay Kasapa in the municipality of La Paz in Agusan del Sur Province
The two fatalities took place at Sitio Kilometer 2 in the municipality of Loreto's Barangay Binocayan when a Bagani Force detachment under Datu Dario "Malampuson" Otaza with cadre officer Corporal Morgadez commanding stumbled across an NPA detachment from Front 34 (Davao-Agusan Command, Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee, or NEMRC) at 7AM. The subsequent firefight lasted until 9AM and resumed again at 5PM after a second chance encounter before petering out just after 10PM that same night. The AFP has been proudly declaring that it killed 13 NPA guerillas between those two engagements but of course they haven't recovered a single body.
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