Sorsogon town’s 7-man police force repulses rebels

LEGAZPI CITY — The seven-man police force of Casiguran town in Sorsogon stood their ground and fought it out with some 100 New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas who swooped down on their detachment last Sunday afternoon, killing a rebel and wounding many others, the regional police said.

The rebels withdrew after the 45-minute firefight, taking hostage and killing one of the policemen, PO3 Nolasco Hadap. Another policeman, P03 Rudy Valeriano, was wounded and is now confined at the Bicol Regional Training and Teaching Hospital here.

"I commend the gallantry of our policemen who fought it out with the rebels," said Bicol police director Marcelo Navarro Jr.

Navarro said the rebels came at about 5:30 p.m., some on foot and others on board a passenger jeepney, a pick-up truck and a tricycle, and fired at the police station. They were armed with grenade launchers and machineguns.

Sorsogon police director Roque Ramirez said that the Casiguran police force led by Inspector Manuel Corpuz, though outnumbered, managed to fight it out with the rebels because they were tipped off of the raid.

Witnesses said at least five rebels were critically wounded, and were carried by their comrades. Police, however, believe that more guerrillas were wounded.

Reports said a five-year-old girl was hit by a stray bullet.

Last Nov. 18, NPA rebels also attacked the town hall of Caramoan town in Camarines Sur, killing a policeman, wounding two other lawmen and a civilian and carting away several firearms.

Authorities believe that the attack on the Casiguran police station was in retaliation for the Army assault in Lupi, Camarines Sur three days earlier, which left three rebels dead.

In other related developments:

• Three suspected communist assassins killed SPO3 Francisco Garcia, the deputy police chief of Mabitac, Laguna, while on his way to his farm last Sunday morning.

• Communist rebels in Tarlac admitted having executed a barangay captain, a certain Marcelo Guiang, of Mayantoc town, who was suspected to be the leader of a robbery-holdup gang preying on motorists and commuters in the province’s eastern towns.

• A Davao City judge ordered the arrest of Alberto Magonica, a ranking NPA leader, and his aide, Simplicio Sumiog Jr., believed to have led last Sept. 30’s fatal ambush of a soldier, five civilians and three militiamen in Barangay Panaga, Paquibato district that city. — With reports from Cet Dematera, Rene Alviar, Benjie Villa and Edith Regalado