PNP News Releases 2008

POLICE STATIONS WARNED OF NPA DECEPTIVE TACTICS

The Philippine National Police high command again cautioned Police Stations and isolated police units in the countryside to be on alert against deceptive and diversionary tactics employed by the communist New People's Army.

PNP Chief, Director General Avelino I Razon Jr. sounded the warning in a memorandum sent to all PNP Regional Directors following the recent series of NPA hostilities in Surigao del Norte, Davao Oriental and Masbate.

"Recent incidents indicate that the CPP/NPA is capitalizing on the absence of substantial number of PNP personnel manning Police Stations," Razon said.

The Chief PNP noted that NPA insurgents from three Front Committees in Northeastern Mindanao went on a looting and shooting rampage in Dapa, Surigao del Norte last June 28 when the Chief of Police was out of the station attending the turnover ceremony at the provincial headquarters. Joint PNP/AFP pursuit operations resulted in the capture of 12 NPA members.

Criminal charges for Rebellion and Robbery were filed before the Provincial Prosecutor of Surigao del Norte against 77 CPP/NPA personalities responsible in the rampage and looting including CPP-NPA Chairman Jose Ma. Sison, NPA Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee chairman George Madlos alias Ka Oris.

In Davao Oriental last July 3, the Chief of Police was attending a Napolcom conference in the capital town when 50 NPA insurgents, disguised as peasants staging a protest action in front of the town hall, opened fire on four police personnel manning the Banay-Banay Police Station.

In Masbate last June 15, the CPP/NPA sabotaged a foreign-assisted government project to bring electricity in the communities of Cataingan town when insurgents burned construction materials and equipment of the Solar Electric System owned by the Philippine Rural Electrification Services Paris-Manila Technology (PRES-PAMATIC).

Supplementing earlier instructions for security of Police Stations against similar incidents, Police Director Silverio Alarcio, PNP Director for Operations ordered Police Stations to raise the "Full Alert" condition whenever the Chief of Police is attending official functions outside of his area of responsibility.

"This will insure the presence and availability of a maximum number of police personnel in the station," Alarcio said.

Regional Directors were also instructed to make all personnel aware and familiar of diversionary and deceptive tactics employed by the NPA such as posing as members of the AFP/NPA in uniform, posing as NBI agents wearing marked jackets, impersonating as Napolcom/DILG inspectors, posing as complainants or victims of crimes, and other modes of deception.

The same memorandum instructed Regional Directors to intensify intelligence gathering and target hardening of Police Stations, government offices and vital installations.

"The operational readiness of Police Stations must be reviewed periodically, and maintained through continuous training on combat operations, proficiency firing, and dry-run of defense plans," Alarcio said.

The National Headquarters has fielded Mobile Training Teams from the Special Action Force to provide refresher training to Regional and Provincial Mobile Groups, and selected Municipal Police Stations in areas with reported NPA activity.

More resources for mobility, firepower and communication, as well as funds for maintenance and operating expenses have been downloaded to field units as part of the program of the PNP leadership to develop all Police Stations into "fighting units" against criminality and insurgency.