CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines – The New People’s Army (NPA) owned up the attack on a police station in Binuangan town, Misamis Oriental on Sunday, December 3.
In a text message sent to the media on Sunday, the NPA said the unit responsible for the attack was the East Misamis Oriental Northeastern Bukidnon Subregional Command.
“This (attack) should serve as a reminder to the police, military and the Duterte regime that the NPA does not fear of his (Duterte) threat of all-out war and martial law whose victims are the hapless civilians,” the NPA said.
It added that the military action is part of their retaliation after a police raid against the NPAs on August 2 killed two of their comrades.
The attack happened a day before the NPA released a police officer in Cotabato province.
In a police report, about a hundred NPA fighters stormed the town’s police station at around 3:15 a.m. Sunday. Four police officers were wounded in the firefight that lasted for about three hours.
The attack was allegedly led by Manuelito Satur, alias “Ka Musong,” a certain Jakem, Oscar Romania, a certain “Amboy” and “Makong Mansigyaw.”
Police Superintendent Lemuel Gonda, spokesperson of the Philippine National Police Regional Office in Region 10, said the NPAs “failed on their attack on the police station and failed to get their (police) firearms.”
In a separate statement, Major Gen. Ronald Villanueva, 4th Infantry Division commander, said the military has anticipated that the NPA will show aggression following the breakdown of peace talks with the communists.
President Rodrigo Duterte terminated the talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines after signing Presidential Proclamation No. 360 on November 23. (With reports from Divina M. Suson/ davaotoday.com)
