Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 20) — Five cops were killed in a shootout between government troops and the New People’s Army Friday night.
In a statement, the Philippine National Police said members of the 2nd Provincial Mobile Force Company were deployed to a road construction project in Labo, Camarines Norte after receiving a report of extortion by the rebels.
The police said the NPA launched its first attack at 9:45 pm in Barangay Dumagmang, Labo, Camarines Norte, which resulted in the deaths of five uniformed personnel. Two others also got wounded from the ambush, it added.
The PNP did not disclose the names of the slain policemen.
The gun fight lasted for three hours, the police said.
“To condemn this attack is not enough to express the anger of the men and women of the PNP, especially that the circumstance of their deployment is to secure a project that would benefit the people of Quezon and the Bicol region from the extortion activity of the local Communist Terrorist Group (CTG),” PNP Officer-in-Charge PLtGen Guillermo Eleazar said in a statement.
Eleazar also said he issued an order to the regional directors of Calabarzon and Bicol to “hit back” at the NPA.
“Ambushes like this do not usually succeed without the help of the CTG supporters. So I am also ordering the RD, PRO5 to conduct a thorough investigation to identify those who may have aided these NPAs in the conduct of their ambush and to bring them to court,” he said.
“Clearly, these people do not understand the language of peace so will deal with them in a manner that they fully understand our message that we shall never tolerate this kind of terrorism activity,” Eleazar added.
