NPA rebels disguised as cops raid security agency

Disguised as policemen, New Peoples Army (NPA) rebels raided on Monday evening the Dasia Security Asia compound in Tagum City and fled with six abducted security guards and seven firearms aboard the agency’s three armored vehicles.

Lt. Col. Lyndon Panisa, spokesman of the 10th Infantry Division, said that the rebels aboard two vans gained entry inside the Dasia Security Office located at Orange Subdivision, Barangay South, Tagum City at about 8 p.m. by introducing themselves as policemen and agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), purportedly to inspect the said facility.

Failing to open the agency’s vault, the rebels fled with stolen firearms and hostages.

Pursuing Army and police troops recovered the three armored vehicles along with a red Montero and black Starex van at Sitio Danao, Barangay Lapu-Lapu in Maco, Compostela Valley. 

The whereabouts of six abducted security guards are still being determined by the authorities.

In a follow-up attack, the rebels bombed an Army vehicle on Tuesday morning with a landmine, wounding five soldiers, two of them women and three civilians whose vehicles, a taxicab and a motorcycle  happened to be passing by the Tagum-Mawab highway.

Lt. Col. Michael Logico, command of the Army’s 66th Infantry battalion identified the wounded Army personnel as Pfc. Joseph Mendio, Pfc Ryuan Torena, Pfc. Erwin Cordero, Pfc. Lovie Joy Semillano and Pfc. Bai Johana Durado and Gina Gubantes, dependent of one of the soldiers.

“These criminal NPAs have lost their ideology and have turned into full-pledged criminals engaging into kidnapping, hijacking, arson and other economic sabotage,” Paniza said. – (with Kathryna De Bustos)