CL cops on alert vs NPA attacks

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — The entire Central Luzon police force is on "heightened alert" amid reports that the New People’s Army (NPA) might take advantage of the congressional canvassing for the presidential and vice presidential races to launch "tactical offensives."

"The NPA is taking advantage of the people’s focus on the canvassing (in Congress) and so I have ordered the entire police force in Central Luzon to remain on heightened alert," Chief Superintendent Vidal Querol, regional police director, said.

Last Wednesday night, 10 NPA guerrillas swooped down on the police Kababayan Center at the Bulaon resettlement here.

The three policemen manning the outpost, led by desk officer SPO4 Pedro David, were taken by surprise and failed to put up a fight as the rebels carted away five M-16 rifles, a 9-mm. pistol and a cellular phone.

Querol said his intelligence officer, Senior Superintendent Leonardo Espina, is coordinating with Senior Superintendent Rodolfo Mendoza, Pampanga police director, in investigating the Bulaon incident.

"It’s not a trivial thing to lose five Armalite rifles to the enemy," he said.

He said Senior Inspector Fernando Lansangan, who heads the Bulaon outpost, was not around during the NPA raid.

David and his two companions, SPO2 Ricardo Pamintuan and SPO3 Zapata Manlapaz, have been relieved from their posts and are now being investigated.

Investigation showed three of the NPA rebels barged into the Kababayan Center at about 9:15 p.m. while the rest served as lookouts.

The guerrillas ordered David to lie on his stomach on the floor as they ransacked Lansangan’s room. Before fleeing, they smashed the detachment’s communications system.