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Sunday, October 02, 2005
4 killed, 4 hurt in noon ambush
By Ben Serrano
Caraga Correspondent
SURIGAO CITY -- At least four policemen were killed while four others wounded when unidentified armed men ambushed a V-150 Philippine National Police (PNP) armor vehicle Saturday afternoon this city.
The vehicle was loaded with policemen who just came from clearing operations for illegal mining and logging activities along a declared watershed area in Mt. Pirang-Pirang, sitio Bedrock Barangay Mat-i.
The ambush shocked city residents here with a 53-man police convoy ambushed by still unidentified armed men while on their way home to the city proper.
This after officials of the Surigao City Water District (SCWD) and DENR requested them to clear the watershed area from reported small scale miners who allegedly begin to cut trees for their small scale gold mining operations.
The area is the main source of water for the city water district, which serves more than 150,000 residents of this seaport city of Caraga Region.
Surigao City OIC Police Chief, Chief Inspector Virgil Ranes Taguiamon identified the casualties as Senior Police Officer 4 Eleuterio Espejon, Police Officer 2 Ruel Alabad, both members of the Surigao del Norte Provincial Mobile Group and Police Officer 2 Joebert Montenegro and PO1 Armando Raagas who are members of the Surigao City Police Office.
Those wounded were police officers Raul Declaro, Regino Abogado, Henry Saavedra and Orlando Aurora, Jr. The four are now under treatment at the Miranda Family Hospital.
Taguiamon said they are still investigating the identities of the armed men who ambushed the policemen while on their way home.
But the police survivors of the ambush suspected that the assailants positioned themselves earlier at the two hills overlooking the road. They said this is the reason why they managed to kill on the spot four policemen who were then riding at the top of the PNP V-150 armored vehicle.
While some are suspecting the assailants are the companions of the small-scale miners who ambushed the policemen some are also suspecting a combination of armed miners and the New People's Army operating in the area.
Some 150 small-scale miners have begun to troop to the area after finding deposits of gold nuggets prompting the officials of the Surigao City Water Distirct (SCWD) and the DENR failed to clear the area after several attempts of dialogues.
The Water District feared that if the mining activities continue it will eventually destroy the only source of potable water supply to Surigao City's more than 150,000 city residents.
Joint military and police operatives are now scouring the area hoping to determine the armed men are their motives in the ambush.
But sources at the area claimed the small-scale miners got irked after they were forcibly removed by the authorities in the area.
(October 2, 2005 issue)
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