PNP News Releases 2006

NPA LANDMINE ATTACK ON CIVILIANS IN SURIGAO DENOUNCED

The Philippine National Police is set to file frustrated murder charges against ranking members of the communist New People’s Army for the wounding of 15 civilians in a landmine attack in Surigao del Sur this morning.

Filed reports reaching PNP Chief, Director General Oscar C Calderon in Camp Crame from CARAGA Regional Director, Chief Superintendent Geary Barias disclosed that New People’s Army terrorists detonated two landmines along the national highway in Barangay Unidos, Tago, Surigao del Sur at 7:30 AM today.

The landmines injured 15 civilian passengers of a jeepney travelling from Tandag City bound for Cagwait, Surigao del Sur. Landmines have long been outlawed in warfare under the Geneva Convention.

Responding troops from the 1405th Provincial Mobile Group engaged the NPA group in a brief firefight, and are now conducting hot pursuit operations.

Calderon immediately directed Barias to attend to the wounded civilians who were rushed to the Adela Serra Ty Memodial Medical Center.

The PNP Chief also ordered the filing of appropriate cirminal charges before the court and the Commission on Human Rights against the local NPA unit responsible for the attack on the innocent civilians.

The landmine attack of the NPA in Surigao happened just two days after the communist movement launched a dawn assault on the Matnog Ferry Terminal and Matnog Police Station in Sorsogon on Saturday.

Alert personnel of the Matnog Police Station successfully repulsed the large NPA formation despite being outnumbered and outgunned. The bodies of five NPA members were recovered from the scene along with their weapons.

Witnesses claimed more bodies of slain NPA members were loaded into hijacked passenger buses in their haste to elude pursuing government troops.