3 Samar cops to be promoted for repulsing rebel attack

TACLOBAN CITY — Three policemen who valiantly fought 150 heavily armed communist guerrillas who stormed a police station in Quinapodan, Eastern Samar have been recommended for promotion.

Eastern Visayas police regional director Chief Supt. Dionisio Coloma Jr. said his recommendation was on the spot promotion for police chief Cayetano Gannaban, Inspector Raul Graza and PO1 Alexander Villaflor.

The three were on duty on Sunday when the rebels attacked the police station, ransacked the municipal building and broke into homes of policemen, seizing two M-16 armalite rifles, two 9mm pistols and a caliber .38 revolver.

While other police officers were attending mass, they reportedly tried to repulse the attack, engaging the rebels in a gunbattle that lasted more than an hour.

Gannaban was hit in the right arm and is now confined at the RTR Hospital. He was declared in stable condition after undergoing surgery.

At least 10 communist guerrillas were reportedly also wounded in the firefight.

PNP provincial directors in the three provinces in Samar were directed to conduct mobile checkpoints for possible interception of the wounded rebels.

Coloma also activated Task Force Quinapondan to conduct a probe and determine the circumstances surrounding the attack. Sr. Supt. Edwin Pflieder, deputy regional director for Operations, was designated to lead the investigation, in cooperation with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the Regional Intelligence and Investigation.

Initial findings showed that half of the 150 raiding rebels attacked the town’s police station and municipal hall while the other half blocked the town’s entry and exit points in Barangay 7 and Baranggay San Pedro, respectively.

Eastern Samar PNP provincial director Supt. Edwin Balongan told The STAR that he already ordered all police units under his area of responsibility to be very security conscious in the wake of renewed threats by the rebels.

Some newly recruited policemen here were also dispatched to Eastern Samar to augment police stations that need additional personnel.