Cop who single-handedly killed 11 NPAs finally promoted

A Medal of Valor awardee who single-handedly fought off communist rebels and killed 11 of them in Agusan del Sur 14 years ago finally moved up the police ranks to become inspector.

But the much-deserved promotion of Inspector Rodelio Caballes was nearly delayed because he did not have enough money to attend his promotion ceremony at the Philippine National Police headquarters at Camp Crame in Quezon City.

Caballes, 48, even recalled to The STAR that his superiors had to lend him some transportation money for his oath-taking at Camp Crame last Jan. 10.

No less than the chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) shouldered his fare after learning of Caballes’ plight.

"Si (PNP chief) General (Arturo) Lomibao pa nga po ang nagbigay sa akin ng pamasahe para makapunta sa (Camp) Crame nung Jan. 10. Tinulungan din po ako ng regional at provincial director ko (General Lomibao gave me transportation money so that I could go to Camp Crame last Jan. 10. The police regional and provincial directors also helped me out)," Caballes told The STAR in an interview.

Caballes is now assigned to another provincial area which he asked The STAR to withhold for security reasons.

Caballes formally took his oath last week with Lomibao personally pinning the anahaw leaf emblem, representing his present rank, on his uniform’s epaulet.

"Ang saya ko po. Hindi ko akalain na mismong si General Arturo Lomibao, ang hepe ng buong national police, ang magbibigay ng pansin sa promotion ko (I am very happy. I did not expect General Arturo Lomibao himself, the chief of the entire national police, to attend to my promotion)," Caballes said.

In the morning of Oct. 26, 1992, then Senior Police Officer 1 Caballes nearly defeated an entire band of New People’s Army rebels that had come to attack his village in San Rafael in Prosperidad town.

In a firefight usually seen only in action movies, Caballes boldly outmaneuvered the enemy with his wife helping him load ammunition.

The rebels retreated and in 1993, several months after his bravery saved the village from the ransacking rebels, Caballes’ gallantry in action and exceptional courage were honored with a Medal of Valor, the highest award in the service that is accompanied by a salute from the President of the Philippines.

Although thankful of his new rank, Caballes is well aware of the concerns of other men in uniform who encounter delays in their promotion.

"Sana po, bigyan ng pagkakataon ang lahat ng tulad ko na nasa probinsya ng nag-aayos ng promotion. Mahirap po kasi yung pera at oras para sa amin na mag-biyahe papunta Crame," Caballes noted in his appeal to the PNP leadership.

As for his message to fellow policemen, Caballes made this reminder: "Maging matapat po tayo sa tungkulin at hindi lahat ng gagawin natin ay maghihintay tayo ng kapalit. Maging mabuti po tayong taga lingkod ng bayan (Be true to our duty and let us not wait to get something in return for the job we do. Let us always do our best to serve the country)."

The plight

Last year, Caballes, who is now assigned to another area, completed all the requirements for his promotion as police inspector or lieutenant.

"I got a notice from the Promotion Board to report sometime in December last year. Sobrang layo ng assignment ko at kulang sa pera medyo na-antala ako ng isang oras sa schedule interview ko. Kaya pinabalik na lang nila ako (My work assignment is too far from Metro Manila and I was short in money so I was an hour’s late for my interview so they told me to come back another time)," said Caballes.

But because he lacked the money to rent a place to stay in Metro Manila while waiting for his follow-up interview, Caballes was forced to return to the province.

Soon, he began thinking about retirement.

"Inisip ko po hindi ko na lang ayusin yung promotion ko at mag-early retirement na lang ako (I gave early retirement a thought and did not work on my promotion anymore)," he said.

Caballes, however, was apparently destined for a bigger role in the PNP.

When Lomibao recently visited the camp where Caballes was assigned, the Medal of Valor awardee had the chance to air his story to the PNP chief, who wasted no time in personally ordering a review of his promotion.

Sources said that as soon as Lomibao returned to the PNP headquarters, he convened the board to personally check on the status of Caballes’ promotion. The PNP chief even "lectured" members of the promotions board for not giving priority to Caballes’ case.

Lomibao and several other generals hosted a lunch for Caballes on the day he took his oath as new police inspector.

Caballes repeatedly thanked Lomibao for the attention given to his case.

The attack

Caballes, who was with the Talacogon police station in Agusan del Sur in 1992, recalled that he was awakened by an intense burst of gunfire in the wee hours by the NPA attack.

As he peeped through a small hole in their house, Caballes said he saw about 30 NPA rebels mercilessly firing at the house of militiaman Roberto Calapan.

"I rushed out of my house with my M-14 Carbine rifle to help my neighbor, but I was met by a heavy volume of fire from an M-60 machine gun and different firearms, prompting me to go back to an underground bunker with my family," recounted Caballes.

The NPA rebels repeatedly demanded his surrender, but Caballes instead fired back at the rebels, killing four of them instantly. Their deaths further irked the rebels who continued firing at Caballes’ house.

With his wife as ammunition reloader, Caballes stood his ground with strong determination and cleverly maneuvered from one position to another, killing seven more rebels as a result.

Although he eventually ran out of ammunition, Caballes and his family still managed to move from their house to a nearby barricade.

It was at this point that the rebels started retrieving the bodies of their dead comrades and looted the houses nearby before fleeing.

The NPA rebels withdrew from the area after sensing the arrival of reinforcement troops from the Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Battalion.

After his experience with the NPA, Caballes slowly rose up the ranks until he became senior police officer 4.