Six police officers were killed while nine others wounded in the gun battle between patrolling cops and soldiers in Sitio Lunoy, San Roque village, Santa Rita, Samar past 9 a.m. on Monday.
Based on the
Philippine National Police (PNP) list, killed were PO1s Wyndell Noromor, Edwin
Ebrado, Phil Rey Mendigo, Julius Suarez, Rowell Reyes and Julie Escalo.
Wounded were PO1s
Elmer Pan, Cris Angelo Pialago, Romulo Cordero, Joenel Gonzaga, Rey Barbosa,
Roden Goden, Jaime Galoy, Rommel Bagunas and Jonmark Adones.
Police Officer 3
(PO3) Jessie Escalo, brother of one of the victims, insisted that it was an
ambush and not a “chanced encounter” as claimed by the Philippine Army.
“They were attacked
after resting for 20 minutes. It is impossible for the military not to
recognize them since they were on standby on the same spot,” said PO3 Escalo in
an interview, relaying the accounts of surviving team members.
He asked top PNP
officials to conduct a thorough investigation of the incident.
The relatives of the
dead policemen were interviewed on Tuesday at the St. Peter Funeral Homes in
this city, where all the victims’ bodies were taken.
Philippine Army’s 8th
Infantry Division Commander Major Gen. Raul Farnacio said it was an accident
and soldiers were unaware that they were policemen doing “regular minor
operations.”
“The location of the
army is 75 meters from the policemen and the area is heavily vegetated. The
soldiers have been there in the area for six days after receiving reports of
sightings of 20 armed rebels in Santa Rita and Pinabacdao towns,” Farnacio said
in a press conference at the PNP regional office on Tuesday.
Richiel Ebrado, widow
of PO1 Ebrado, said it is more painful to learn that her husband was killed by
government troops and not by enemies.
“We want to know what
really happened and to attain justice. They’re on the same side, but why they
did not recognize them?” asked Richiel, who is expecting their second child
this September.
Capt. Rommel Pulanco,
operations officer of Philippine Army 87th Infantry Battalion based in Calbiga,
Samar, said the nearby detachment in Anibongon village was informed of the
presence of the team from the 805th Company of the Philippine National Police
Regional Mobile Force Battalion.
“They’re not able to
recognize them easily because they were wearing muddy combat uniforms in a
lower ground in a heavily forested area. It looks like the same uniform wore by
NPAs in many combat operations,” Pulanco said.
Farnacio said they
will investigate why the coordinated information has not reached the troopers
on the ground. The 17 soldiers, led by platoon leader Lt. Orlando Casipit, Jr.,
are now at the Army 87th Infantry Battalion for questioning and ballistic test
of their firearms.
Sta. Rita has been
identified as one of the areas in the region infested by the New People’s Army.
The town is just 30 kilometers away from Tacloban, crossing the San Juanico
Bridge. (SQM/PNA)
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