DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Updated as of 7:33 pm)— The Philippine National Police condemned the ambush by alleged communist rebels on the convoy of police crime scene investigators in Bansalan town, Davao del Sur Wednesday.
In a statement, PNP Spokesperson Senior Superintendent Dionardo B. Carlos said: “The trademark of ruthless treachery, patented by the CPP-NPA, has reared its ugly head again in this latest attack against a non-tactical police team of laboratory technicians and technical specialists who, by the nature of their functions, are non-combatants.”
Earlier, the Police Regional Office 11 said the ambush occurred around 7:30 a.m in Barangay Sibayan.
The four personnel who were killed were Police Officer 1 Rolly Benelayo, PO1 Joe Narvaza, PO1 Saro Mangutara of the Bansalan Municipal Police Station and PO3 Jayden May Rabor of the Scene of the Crime Operatives in Digos City. Another police officer, PO3 Allen Arnado was wounded and was brought to a nearby hospital.
“The Bansalan Municipal Police received a report from Barangay Captain Eddie Dicdican of Barangay Sibayan that there was a murder incident in the barangay. The Bansalan MPS responded to the murder incident and sent a patrol car with PNP personnel and another patrol car was sent to fetch personnel from crime lab,” a police report said.
The report added that upon arriving in Barangay Sibayan around 7:30 am the convoy was ambushed by suspected members of the New People’s Army some 100 meters away from the incident of the murder area.
As of press time, the NPA has not yet issued a statement regarding the alleged ambush.(davaotoday.com)
