Butuan City – Suspected members of the New People’s Army (NPA) conducted a daring raid Friday evening into the office of a security agency in Valencia City, Bukidnon province, taking with them assorted high- and low-powered firearms.
“An estimated 15 men garbed in police uniforms ransacked the office of Davao Security & Investigation Agency, Inc. (DASIA) in Purok 17, Barangay Hindangon, at around 6:00 o’clock, claiming that they have a search warrant against the security agency. We believe that the raiding group belonged to the NPA’s Front Committee 86 sub-region guerrilla unit,” said Superintendent Lemuel Gonda, spokesperson of the Police Regional Office 10 (PRO10).
According to the initial police report, the suspected rebels carted away two AK47 assault rifles, one M-16 assault rifle, three shotguns and three caliber .38 revolvers.
Gonda said that, while the raid was taking place inside the DASIA office, another group of suspected rebels manned a checkpoint near the vicinity.
“The checkpoint group wore olive camouflage police uniforms and accosted motorists. PO1 Emilio Limbaga Traya of the Maramag Municipal Police Station was flagged and disarmed of his 9mm Glock pistol, and then released unharmed. We also received a report that a soldier identified as TSGT Joseph T. Paredes of the 8th Infantry Battalion was held at the check point,” said Gonda.
Capt. Jo Patrick Martinez, spokesperson of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division, confirmed that a soldier was taken by the rebel group.
“One off-duty soldier, who was unarmed and in civilian attire, together with his wife on board a motorcycle, was flagged down by the bandit group. He was identified because of his identification card. The NPAs immediately dragged him off his motorcycle and threw him inside one of the armored vehicles. The soldier’s wife, who was in shock at the moment, was pushed down to a muddy area,” said Martinez.
According to the PNP, the NPA took off from the area on board a black Toyota Hilux pick-up, two motorcycles and two-armored vans of the security agency. Later that evening, the armored vans were recovered abandoned at an area.
An immediate follow up and pursuit operation led to the arrest of a suspected NPA lookout identified as 18-year old Luvimin Rosos, also known as Tiyal, a resident of Balangay 1A, Poblacion, Quezon town in the province of Bukidnon.
“The suspect was caught in the follow-up operation in his rented room at Juanilla Village, Purok 17, Valencia City. The Valencia City police personnel confiscated from the room of Rosos surveillance cameras, night vision scope, sniper’s veil, camouflage raincoat, hammock and other items. A memory card from the surveillance camera showed DASIA Security agency video clips taken as part of their surveillance and planning,” said Gonda.