NPAs raid Surigao wood firm

BUTUAN CITY — Fresh from a successful raid in Lingig, Surigao del Sur where communist rebels emptied the town’s police arsenal, another group of communist rebels successfully raided a wood firm’s security bunker on Sunday in Sitio Maput, Barangay Doña Carmen, Tagbina, Surigao del Sur.

Aside from burning the bunker, the rebels snatched two company-owned carbine rifles, handheld radios, antennas and assorted ammunition before fleeing towards the mountainous area portion of Rosario, Agusan del Sur.

Military and police reports said two security guards of PICOP Resources Inc. — Alex Magamayo and a certain Noyte — were reportedly disarmed by about 30 suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels who arrived in the area shortly before midnight.

Before the rebels left, they hogtied the security personnel then doused gasoline at the security bunker.

Meanwhile, in Lingig, Surigao del Sur, Mayor Roberto "Jimmy" Luna, who is facing charges to be filed by the Philippine National Police (PNP) per order of PNP chief Arturo Lomibao upon recommendations of the local police, finally admitted that two of the NPA raiders who held him captive before ransacking the town’s police office were wearing crispy Magdalo uniforms with arm bands.

Police and even civilian eyewitnesses who were at that time of the raid were standing by near stores fronting Lingig Municipal Hall in a separate interview confirmed Mayor Luna’s observations.