AFP on RPA Janiuay ambush: 'Full support on PNP probe'
Any and all police actions on the Saturday ambush of three policemen in Januiay, Iloilo will get full backing of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) here.
With the Iloilo Provincial Police Office (IPPO) readying murder and frustrated murder charges, suspects are members of the Revolutionary Proletariat Army (RPA) – Alex Boncayao Brigade (ABB) under commander Francisco Ayawan. The incident killed one police officer and injured two other fellow officers in an unprovoked incident in Barangay Patong-Patong of said town.
The AFP since Saturday worked on a parallel probe. Captain Lowen Gil Marquez, commanding officer of the AFP's 3rd Civil Relations Group assured of corresponding action thereafter.
"We will talk the matter first with the local peace process table chaired by Assistant Secretary Raul Banias, Presidential Assistant for Western Visayas. And through him bring to the national concerns," Captain Marquez said.
The RPA-ABB is currently involved in a peace talk with the Philippine Government.
The News Today (TNT) in a report gathered that IPPO Director Senior Superintendent Ricardo dela Paz will lead today's filing of the cases. At least ten RPA-ABB members will be named respondents.
Alongside the criminal charges though will be the formal complaint of the PNP on the peace panel on what he said in radio interviews as clear violation of the peace talk provisions.
Killed was Police Officer (PO) 3 Gildo Sullivan while injured were PO3 Francisco Gabiano and PO1 Jonathan Limas of the Januiay Police Office.
"We will support the PNP if they need our technical and tactical capabilities both in red and white areas," Captain Marquez assured.
The police team were in the area in response to a call for help by a villager who was reportedly mauled by an RPA-ABB member.
The rebels were inside a house of a suspected rebel supporter when the police arrived.
Sullivan reportedly asked the rebels what they were doing. An unidentified rebel then came out of the house and confronted him, upon which an argument ensued between them. The police, sensing the rebels were intoxicated and had high-powered firearms, decided to back off and opted to go back to their station, and deal with the matter the next day. Hardly had they traveled a distance when successive shots rang out.
Gabiano and Limas were able to walk towards the highway where they flagged down a passing cab. It was only then that they were able to report the incident. A team from the Provincial Mobile Group was dispatched to the scene of the incident but did not catch up with the rebels.
Meanwhile, Demetrio Capilastique, a.k.a. Ka Hugo, spokesperson of the RPA-ABB, sent a press statement in several radio stations over the weekend denying that RPA-ABB was responsible for the ambush.