DILG, PNP to file raps vs NPA for landmine siege

The Philippine National Police will file a formal a complaint against the New People’s Army before the Commission on Human Rights for an ambush in Rodriguez, Rizal over the weekend.

At least 60 heavily armed NPA rebels killed a policeman, wounded two others and took three of their companions hostage during an ambush in Rodriguez, Rizal Saturday afternoon.

The ambush that killed PO1 Rickson Aquino, of the 418th Provincial Mobile Group, was staged two days after the holiday ceasefire with the rebels ended.

Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno described as “disturbing” the NPA’s use of landmines, which could hit even innocent civilians, similar to the attack in Rodriguez, Rizal where a policeman was killed. Two were injured and three were missing in the incident.

Report had it that the NPA used distress calls to trap responding policemen to their landmines.

“We believe there is basis to file complaints with the CHR because in this particular incident, a road landmine was used to disable the police vehicle. The treachery has always been there,” said Puno. “But the disturbing thing about it is the use of landmines. Because a road landmine is kind of like ‘to whom it may concern’ and if you use things like that, the possibility of harming innocent individuals is very high.”

Secondly, Puno said the use of distress calls to the police units in order to draw the men into these ambushes would trap “responding police.”

“This (the use of distress calls) is not very helpful to the community if the NPA will use calls for help to the police station to ambush every police unit that responds. “Papano naman yung mga lehitimong humi­hingi ng tulong sa ating mga kababayan? Ba­kit hindi nila harap-harapang harapin yung mga kapulisan. Imbis na ga­gamiting yung pangkaraniwang tawag sa saklolo, yun yung gagamitin nila parang paraan na mahila yung ating mga units. I don’t think they are serving the interest of our people when they do that,” Puno said.

Puno said he is disturbed with the recent attack since policemen, who were killed and hurt in the incident, were prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice to help the people they sworn to protect.

The attack in Rodriguez, Rizal came while the government is coming up with plans to establish peace negotiations with the communist rebels.

Appeal

In related developments, Inspector Rex Cuntapay, one of the three policemen taken hostage by the New People’s Army rebels in Rodriguez, Rizal Saturday celebrated his 31st birthday at the hands of his captors.

Cuntapay’s wife, Joyce, appealed for the safe release of her husband and his two comrades who are presently in the custody of the retreating communist rebels.

“Maawa naman sila sa asawa ko. Maliliit pa mga anak namin. Bukod sa aming mag-anak na binubuhay ng asawa ko, siya lang din ang inaasahan ng kanyang pamilya,” said Joyce.

The Cuntapays have two children, aged five and three.

“Sana naman ay me-release sila agad bago mag Jan. 5. Ito na sana pa-birthday nila sa asawa ko,” Joyce added.

Aside from Cuntapay, the NPAs also took hostage PO1 Alberto Umali, and PO1 Marvin Agasen.

Umali, 32 years old, and also a father of two girls- aged eight and six- and married to a fish vendor, while Agasen, is a 30-year-old father of an 11-year-old girl and married to a civilian employee assigned at Northern Police District.

Joyce was joined by the wives of Umali and Agasen in calling for the safe release of the three police hostages.

The hostaged policemen, along with PO1s Ricardo Flores and Michael Taron, and Rickson Aquino, all from the 418th Provincial Mobile Group, were responding to reports that a group of men for­cibly burned a dump truck dumping garbage at the Rodriguez sanitary landfill in Sitio Calumpit, Barangay Macabud.

While responding to the call for help, the vehicle of the policemen hit a land mine and they were thrown upon impact.

Aquino died after being hit by a shrapnel in the nape.

Although wounded, Flores and Taron and the three hostaged policemen put up a fight until they ran out of ammunition.

The raiders confiscated the issued M16 Armalite rifles and handguns of the six policemen.

The NPAs also robbed them of their wristwatches, cellphones, and cash.   – With Ed Amoroso