THE Philippine National Police (PNP) reported that among those who were killed during the ambush of four police officers in Bansalan, Davao del Sur last week, Police Officer 3 (PO3) Jaden Mel Rabor suffered the most with 11 bullets.
"She was shot by an M16 rifle from afar and was again shot at a relatively closer range with an M14 rifle, ganyan ang ginawa nila sa ating mga (That what they did to our) police officers, to think na babae 'yan (that she a woman)," PNP Chief Senior Superintendent Manuel Gaerlan during Wednesday's AFP-PNP press conference at Camp Catitipan.
A report from the Scene of the Crime Operatives (Soco) showed that Rabor sustained two gunshot wounds in the head, some at the back, the rest in her upper extremities.
"Makikita mo (You can see) that the first shot was clean, probably from afar. Nilapitan pa nila, then dun na yung pinakagrabeng tama (They went closer and fired more). They probably used an M14 for it," Gaerlan said.
The driver, PO1 Rolly Benelayo, sustained gunshot wounds in the head while the two passengers at the back, PO1 Joey Narvasa and PO1 Saro Mangotara were alternately shot in the chest, the back, abdomen and lower extremities.
On March 8, Davao Del Sur Provincial Crime Laboratory Office deployed two of its Soco personnel along with the two police officers from the municipality of Bansalan.
The vehicle was ambushed just a hundred meters from the bridge at Barangay Sibayan, killing the four and wounding PO3 Allen Arnado.
"I was seated at the back of the driver when I first saw the bullet hit the windshield. I opened the door and crawled around 50 meters from the scene. When the firing stopped, I heard someone shouting to go down and finish off the victims, from there another round of bullets were heard," Arnado recalled.
Forty minutes after the ambush, Arnado was rescued by the civilians near the area and was brought to the nearest hospital.
"What they did was plain and simple murder, napaka-inhumane ng ginawa nila (inhumane acts). They are not combatants, they were merely Soco personnel," Gaerlan said.
The PNP said that by March 24, they will be filing a case against the direct participants including the leaders of the said rebel group.
"We will file a case of multiple murder and frustrated murder against the perpetrators. We will never tolerate their act," Gaerlan added.