Sunday, November 09, 2008 Negros judge survives ambush
A JUDGE handling insurgency-related cases was ambushed on his way home early yesterday in Sitio Looc, Barangay Poblacion, Guihulngan City, Oriental Negros.
Judge Mario Trinidad of the Regional Trial Court Branch 64 of Guihulngan survived but his bodyguard, Dolfo Guzman, was killed.
Trinidad was just 200 meters from his house when an undetermined number of persons fired on him and Guzman at 12:30 a.m.
Trinidad was driving his multicab while Guzman was following closely on a motorcycle when attacked.
The police recovered 10 shells fired from an M16 rifle.
Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office Director Augusto Marquez Jr. said Trinidad suffered a superficial wound in the right ear and a gunshot wound in the right thigh.
Guzman had gunshot wounds in his back.
Marquez said Trinidad was handling several cases against members of the New People’s Army (NPA).
Apart from those involving rebels, he said they will also check for other high-profile cases that the judge handled before.
Marquez told reporters that the Guihulngan court had so many cases that a second judge, Kennedy Duka, was assigned there.
He said Duka has already taken steps to ensure his safety.
During the police information and continuing education program at the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 yesterday, Regional Intelligence Division Chief Melvin Ramon Buenafe warned colleagues to be wary of their surroundings.
Another blow
With December fast approaching, he said Christmas is not the only occasion they should be preparing for.
He reminded them that the Communist Party of the Philippines, with the NPA as its armed component, celebrates its anniversary every Dec. 26.
Buenafe said that the CPP-NPA has had several setbacks due to police and military operations that it would want to retaliate to counter the government’s pronouncements of wiping out insurgency by 2010.
“The threat in Central Visayas, as far as the CPP-NPA is concerned, is real,” he said, noting the ambush on Trinidad and the recent attack on the La Libertad Police Station.
Marquez also said a recent court decision was another blow to the NPA.
Judge Roderick Maxino of the Regional Trial Court Branch 32 in Dumaguete City sentenced the third highest officer of the Komiteng Rehiyon Sentral Bisayas (Central Visayas Regional Party Committee) of the NPA to a jail term of 10 years and one day to 18 years and a fine of P50,000.
Pedro Lumantas and live-in partner Lita Mahilum were convicted Thursday for violating Section 2 of Republic Act 8294, or the anti-illegal possession of firearms law.
Marquez said Lumantas had several cases for NPA atrocities in Cebu and Bohol provinces.
Buenafe urged all policemen to act like intelligence operatives and to be curious and observant of their surroundings, being aware of what is going on, whether they are on or off-duty. (MEA)
