BY MARIE TONETTE MARTICIO
TACLOBAN CITY – Samar Governor Reynolds Michael Tan condemned the rebels’ attack on a police patrol car that claimed the life of a cop in Marabut, Samar, Thursday afternoon.
“One person’s life is not reparable. We should all condemn killings, including political killings…Those are acts of cowardice,” he said.
Three police officers of the Marabut Police and a person under police custody (PUPC) were on board a patrol vehicle on their way back from a court hearing in the nearby town of Basey when a roadside bomb was detonated along the highway of Barangay Logero.
They were then fired upon by an undetermined number of armed men believed to be members of the New People’s Army (NPA).
The responding officers saw Police Cpl. Lawrence Yrl Hembra bloodied on the driver side of the vehicle.
The PUPC sustained minor wound on his left head. Hembra was declared dead on arrival at Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center here.
Lt. Col. Edgar Allan Orbito, commander of the 63rd Innovator Battalion, said the attack was a diversionary tactic of the communist rebels.
He added that for the past two to three months, they have not monitored any movement of the NPA in the area. Orbito explained that the use of an improvised explosive device (IED) is an indication that the attack was launched by the NPA because based on their special investigation, there was a blast before the firing against the patrol vehicle.
“The 8th Infantry Division and the 801st Brigade, together with the Police Regional Office 8, are conducting continuous offensive operations. The NPAs want to divert the attention of the Armed Forces to Marabut to protect their remnants who cannot move in Eastern Samar,” the official disclosed.
He added that the ambush site is high ground with ways or access from Marabut going to Lawaan to avoid being seen by the civilians.
Governor Tan emphasized that they are serious about ending the local conflicts in the province. (Marie Tonette Marticio)
