By ERWIN ‘AMBO’ DELILAN
THE AMBUSH in Sitio Icogan, Barangay Minapasok, Calatrava, Negros Occidental on Wednesday, Aug. 9, was a product of bungled military intelligence report?
Such killed Police Corporal Jaime Nuñez Jr. and wounded his three colleagues – Captain Jesus Alba, Corporal Dennis Nasis and Staff Sergeant Frank Caballero. They were members of the Calatrava Municipal Police Station (CMPS) in northern Negros and part of the joint Army-Police force that supposedly would serve warrants of arrest against two suspected high-ranking officials of the New People’s Army (NPA) – Danny Dayawan and Charity Amacan – sighted in the sitio at that time.
Dayawan and Amacan, per police report, were accused of killing certain barangay officials in Barangay Minapasok months ago.
Prior to the jump-off of cops on board a patrol car, Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office’s (NOCPPO) spokesman Police Lieutenant Judesses Catalogo said the area has (already) been “cleared” by the Army. And some of the soldiers belonging to the Army’s 79th Infantry Battalion (79IB) were already positioned in the sitio.
Unfortunately, Catalogo said, before the policemen reached the populated area some 50 meters away, 20 to 30 armed men fired at them, hitting first the police mobile car’s tires.
Before policemen could fight back, the rebels, Catalogo added, lobbed an M-23 grenade, causing Nuñez’s head to disintegrate into pieces.
Alba, deputy chief of the CMPS, on the other hand, sustained a gunshot wound on his upper left eye; Nasis on his shoulder and stomach; while Caballero on his back.
As of this writing, they were all in safe condition in various hospitals, Catalogo tweeted.
NO COMMENT
After the incident, Catalogo said they conducted an ocular inspection of the area.
The ambush site was a disadvantageous point for policemen; it was beside a hilly portion where the rebels positioned.
Opposite to it were pineapple and sugarcane plantations.
“Really, they (rebels) can’t be seen from afar,” the NOCPPO spokesman added.
Meanwhile, both General Orlando Edralin, 303IB commander, and Lt. Col. Arnel Calaoagan, 79th IB commanding officer, can’t be reached for comment.
Calatrava is one of the areas of responsibility (AORs) of the 79IB.
On the other hand, CMPS chief, Police Major Ronald Santillan, confirmed in a various radio interviews that his men didn’t move to serve the warrant if the area wasn’t cleared. He said they waited for a “go signal” to be given. And that “go signal” came from the Army, he stressed.
But asked regarding the failed military intelligence, Army Captain Mervin Rosal, spokesman of the 303rd Infantry Brigade (303IB), refrained from commenting.
LATE INFO
Here’s another sad news.
Hours prior to the 9:40 a.m. ambush on Aug 9, two civilians were killed in Sitio Icogan. Police identified them as Felix Resotay Jr. and his nephew, Elesio Resotay. Both were farmers.
The Army claimed both men were killed by NPA rebels after being tagged as military informants.
Question: Why weren’t the police told about this prior to their takeoff?
Catalogo classified such news as late info. That’s the reason why the police didn’t have the names of the farmer victims when pressed by the media on Aug. 9, They received the info very late or only after the ambush.
Catalogo said they needed first to take care of their killed and wounded policemen before they could reach the area to get information about the slain farmers.
In a “choreographed statement” released to the media (Aug 10) re: murder of the Resotays, Calaoagan said, “We strongly condemn the barbaric act initiated by the Communist Terrorist Group which resulted to the death of two innocent civilians in Calatrava.”
Then, he vowed to hunt down the commies to serve justice to the victims.
But where’s Calaoagan statement re: death of Police Corporal Nuñez?
Nothing! Isn’t it unfair?
TIMELY, RELEVANT, ACCURATE
Intel reports can be of the greatest value in situations like in Sitio Icogan. They can and must provide timely, relevant and accurate information.
In the Army, it’s classified as military discipline that employs information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to assist commanders in their decisions.
But what happened in Sitio Icogan? Somebody must admit the letdown. Too, it’s time for military in Negros to strengthen its intelligence report.
Reds in Negros are getting “bold” anew. Proof to this are the series of skirmishes in central and southern Negros since late last year.
Negros Occidental’s loss to host Palarong Pambansa 2024 was a potent cue for the Army. Such was mainly attributed to the fragile and volatile peace and order in the province.
I hope the Sitio Icogan incident will be a lesson to the Negros Army to, once again, be intel-savvy./PN
