Tacloban City—Philippine National Police chief Oscar Albayalde has ordered the relief of all policemen in Lapinig, Northern Samar following the pre-dawn attack of around 100 suspected New People’s Army rebels on the local police station Friday.
Pending an investigation into the raid by the alleged communist rebels, also ordered relieved were Northern Samar Provincial Director Senior Supt. Romeo Campomanes, 2nd Northern Samar Provincial Mobile Force Company Commander Chief Insp. Juan Byron, and Police Regional Office-Eastern Visayas Director Chief Supt. Mariel Magaway.
Police said the attack happened around 2 am when suspected rebels carrying high-powered weapons onboard two dump trucks and one jeep peppered the police station with bullets.
PO2 Jerry Quilicol and PO1 Edison Aguerre were wounded in the attack.
The station’s officer-in-charge Police Insp. Noly Montebon and PO2 Mark Mejedo, who were initially reported as missing in action, were already located.
They reportedly hid after they ran out of ammunition during the firefight that lasted for 15 minutes.
Reports said the suspected rebels used high-powered firearms and escaped with no wounded or casualties.
According to the Northern Samar Provincial Police Office, seven policemen were on duty during the attack.
The 8th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army based in Catbalogan City, Samar then sent a force in pursuit of the suspected rebels.
Army Captain Francis Agno, chief of the 8ID’s Division Public Affairs Office, said the rebels carted away 10 assorted high-powered firearms, three handguns, an undetermined number of ammunition and magazines, police computers, and the police hotline cellular phone.
Maj. Gen. Raul M. Farnacio, commander of the 8ID, condemned the pre-dawn attack, saying “it only shows how desperate they are in their armed struggle.”
“I urge the community to report to the authorities the presence of any armed group in your area. Security is a shared responsibility of everyone; it is not just for us, the security forces and government institutions but also in collaboration with civil society and the communities,” Farnacio said.
The Army said that the Lapinig raid coincided with Friday’s scheduled arraignment of Marieta “Tayang” Bartolo, an alleged high-ranking NPA leader operating in Northern Samar.
Bartolo has two warrants of arrest issued by the Gamay Regional Trial Court.
On July 13, 2018, Bartolo and three others were apprehended at a checkpoint.
Bartolo is the alleged front secretary of Metro 1, SRC Emporium, an NPA unit operating in the municipalities of Pambujan, San Roque, Silvino Lobos, Las Navas, Mondragon, and Catarman
He was apprehended along with Ruth Martirez Figueroa, reportedly the Bayan Muna President-Northern Samar and an incumbent barangay chairwoman of UEP, Zone 3, Catarman.
On January 12, 2012, the Lapinig Police Station was also raided by suspected NPA rebels who took several firearms.
After the incident, the communist rebels opened fire at the house of former Lapinig mayor Romualdo Menzon, which resulted to the deaths of his security aide and the injury of two other residents.