CATARMAN, Samar- Two police personnel of the Catarman Police Station survived an ambush by suspected members of New People’s Army in Jiabong, Samar on Wednesday (July 26).
The policemen, PO1 John Cervantes and PO1 Ralph Roan Sabanal, were aboard a Hilux patrol car on their way to the police regional office in Palo, Leyte when they were reportedly attacked by undetermined numbers of communist rebels along a national highway located along Barangay Jia-an, Jiabong town at about 12:10.
PO1 Sabanal, who was driving the vehicle, did not stop and continued driving despite several shots bombarded at them by the rebels.
The two policemen reached the Jiabong police station with minor wounds from the broken glass windows of their vehicle.
But none of them was hit by bullets from the rebel group.
“Buti na lang may presence of mind ang driver (Sabanal) hindi sya huminto; idiniretso niya kahit flat na na sasakyan,” Senior Inspector Russel Calubag, deputy chief of Catarman police station, said.
Supt.Jose Manuel Payos, Catarman police chief, immediately went to Jiabong to respond on the incident and rescue their ambushed policemen
Cervantes and Sabanal were on their way to the regional police headquarters at Camp Ruperto Kangleon, Palo for qualitative examination of drug evidence (shabu) that the Catarman police recovered from a buy-bust operation on Tuesday (July 25).
The rebels also reportedly used landmines in the said attack.
(RACHEL V. ARNAIZ)
