50 Red fighters attack Iloilo police station

ILOILO CITY: Around 50 alleged members of the communist New People’s Army ( NPA) on Sunday morning attacked the police station of Maasin, Iloilo, in Central Visayas region.

Police Chief Insp. Aaron Palomo, Iloilo Police Provincial Office ( IPPO) spokesman, in an interview, said the alleged rebels swooped down on the police station around 11 a. m. and took an undetermined number of firearms from the policemen on duty.

He added that the policemen were not harmed but were handcuffed by the rebels.

Palomo said there were 15 policemen on duty at the time but when the incident happened.

Before the incident, according to him, a woman had approached the women’s desk of the police station and pretended to report an incident until she declared “attack or raid.”

These alleged rebels completed their operation “very quickly” and sped away in a police patrol car, Palomo said.

The alleged rebels also used a private truck covered with tarpaulin in their escape.

Palomo said they immediately coordinated with the Philippine Army, Regional Public Safety Battalion, police forces and other concerned agencies to respond to the incident.

He added that a police patrol car taken by the attackers was recovered in Alimodian town.

Investigation of the incident is ongoing, Palomo said.

The IPP0 here has ordered all police stations in the province to take “extra vigilance” and to stay “alert” to prevent the same incident from happening again.