Personnel of Tago municipal police station (TMPS) in Surigao del Sur survived an ambush by the communist New People’s Army (NPA), the provincial police office said Wednesday.
In a report, the Surigao del Sur Police Provincial Office (SDSPPO) said the ambush took place Tuesday as Tago police officers were out to serve an arrest warrant against Luwino Mendiola, a suspected NPA rebel in Barangay Libas Gua, San Miguel town.
“The subject person was not around when the TMPS operatives arrived in the area, and they decided to go back to their station,” the SDSPPO said, adding that the mission formed part of the daylong the Simultaneous Anti-Criminality Law Enforcement Operations.
While traveling back to their station, around 10 NPA rebels fired at the commuter van of the TMPS personnel in Sitio Panunungan, Barangay Libas Gua.
The rebels, the report said, were led by Joel Mahinay of the NPA Guerrilla Front 30A, North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee.
“The van was hit on the rear tire and the back portion. No TMPS personnel was hit during the ambush,” the SDSPPO said.
It said the van continued to speed away from the ambush site, but the TMPS personnel onboard noticed some heavily armed men along the highway in Barangay Cabangahan, prompting them to disembark and abandon their vehicle.
The police officers headed on foot to Barangay Alba, where they were fetched by the responding TMPS colleagues.
The abandoned police vehicle was retrieved by the personnel of the San Miguel police on the same day. (PNA)
