NPA raid: Surigao Sur police force relieved

BUTUAN CITY – Surigao del Sur Police Provincial Director Senior Superintendent Alex Ga yesterday announced that the entire 26-member Cantilan, Surigao del Sur police force headed by Senior Inspector Mario Balan have been relieved following the Sept. 23 NPA raid of the Cantilan Municipal Police Office where some 20 firearms and assorted ammunitions were carted away by some 200 raiding communist rebels.

The relief order according to Ga came from newly sworn-in Caraga Police Regional director Chief Superintendent Jaime Elorita Milla who assumed office on Sept. 21

But the retiring Surigao del Sur police provincial director admitted he himself is now being investigated for the NPA raid and is feared to be relieved soon. To date, members of the Caraga Police Regional Mobile Group based here in Butuan City were acting as peace officers in Cantilan town some 300 kms. from this regional center of Caraga Region, Butuan City.

This is the seventh time a police station or a military detachment in Caraga Region were attacked by hordes of communist rebels where cache of firearms and ammunitions were carted away by the raiding militants.

Towards the end of 2005, the Municipal Police Station in Lingig, Surigao del Sur was also raided in broad daylight after the town’s municipal mayor was held hostage by the rebels and made him as human shield as they ransacked the Lingig Municipal Police Station situated just beside the Lingig Municipal Hall.

On June 27 at about 3 a.m. early dawn, communist insurgents raided the military detachment of the 23rd IB Philippine Army in Barangay Lawan-Lawan, Las Nieves, Agusan del Norte and emptied the detachment armory.

NPA spokesperson for Northern Mindanao Ka Cesar Reinerio said the communist rebels carted away some 17 high powered firearms mostly M-16s and M-14s Armalite rifles, carbine rifles, hand grenades and communication facilities.

The military however, denied the NPA report that it carted away government-owned firearms saying it was bloated while admitting some of its CAFGU members who were former NPA rebels allowed the entry of the raiding communist group in their Las Nieves town detachment.

Milla, who took over only last Friday vice Chief Superintendent Antonio Nanas who retired on Sept. 21, also mobilized regional and provincial mobile force to conduct combat patrol in far-flung areas to avert any further attacks by the communist insurgents.

Declassified intelligence report stated that two towns in Surigao del Norte and another town in Surigao del Sur are the alleged new targets of the NPAs.