The number of policemen injured in an encounter with New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Brgy. Minapasok, Calatrava in Negros Occidental on Wednesday morning, increased to three.
The police on Wednesday reported that PCpl. Jaime Nunez was killed and PCapt. Jesus Alba and PCpl. Dennis Nasis of the Calatrava police station were injured.
However, another policeman discovered that he had small wounds on his back that he did not notice the day before and was brought to a hospital on Thursday, August 10, PMaj. Ronald Santillan, Calatrava police chief, said.
He identified the third injured policeman as PSSgt Frank Caballero.
The wounds appear to have been caused by shrapnel from an M-203 grenade fired by the rebels, he said.
M-203 fired cartridges were found at the crime scene, there was no landmine explosion as alleged, he said.
The joint Army and police forces were to serve warrants of arrest to rebels identified as Darry Dayawan, Charity Amacan and others who were sighted in Sitio Icogan, Barangay Minapasok.
The 79th Infantry Battalion soldiers were already in the area, Santillan said.
When the go signal was given the ten Calatrava policemen proceeded to the area to serve the warrants of arrest, Santillan said.
Along the way the policemen spotted armed men and disembarked from their vehicle to engage them in a firefight.
There were about 20 to 30 rebels some of whom maneuvered to higher ground placing the policemen at a disadvantage, Santillan added.
The NPA, on the other hand, said that they had staged an ambush against the policemen.
The Calatrava policemen went to Icogan to serve warrants of arrest, they were not responding to the earlier killing of two persons in the area that was a separate incident, Santillan clarified.
He identified the two killed as Felix Resotay Jr. and his nephew Elesio Resotay.
Their family reportedly said that they were farmers and allegations that they were military informants were not true.
The Army said the two were killed by the NPA.
“We strongly condemn the barbaric act initiated by the Communist Terrorist Group which resulted to the death of two innocent civilians in Calatrava,” Lt. Col. Arnel P. Calaoagan, 79th Infantry Battalion commander, said.
The killing of unarmed civilians was in clear violation of the international humanitarian law, he said.
They will relentlessly hunt down the NPA terrorists to serve justice to the victims of their senseless killings and ideology, Calaoagan added.*