2 brave cops survive NPA rebels’ ambush in Quezon

SAN NARCISO, Quezon — Despite being outnumbered, two rookie cops managed to survive a broad daylight ambuscade carried out by around 50 heavily- armed men believed to be New People’s Army (NPA) rebels at the barangay of San Juan, four kilometers away from the Poblacion of this town yesterday.

Quezon police director Col. Audie Madrideo said Patrolmen Millan Parco and Kennedy Piamonte both sustained non-fatal wounds during the ambush but did not lose their presence of mind, and fired back at their attackers.

“They stood their ground and fired back at the communist guerillas and even wounded one of them in the body”, said Madrideo in a phone interview.

Town police commander Capt. Hubert Reuben Jabrica said Parco and Piamonte were on the PNP mobile car patrolling the village when the rebels peppered them with bullets at around 8:40 a.m.

Jabrica said the rookie cops were both hit but immediately retaliated trading bullets with the enemies using their service M16 Armalite rifles and pistols.

While trading shots, Jabrica managed to hit a rebel in the chest using his pistol.

He said the firefight lasted for almost an hour but the rebels eventually withrew as they failed to overpower the two brave cops  and for fear of military and police reinforcement.

The two wounded cops were taken by responding residents to San Narciso Municipal Hospital but was later transferred to a hospital in Lucena City.

Madrideo said the foiled ambush could be a retaliation of the rebels following the arrest on Wednesday of their comrade, Hilario de Roxas, alias Ka Mando, 56, and native of Catanauan, Quezon.

De Roxas was arrested by combined elements of police and military by virtue of arrest warrants for double murder, multiple attempted murder and frustrated murder with no recommended bail.

De Roxas is a member of NPA’s Apolonio Mendoza Command  operating in the Southern part of Quezon province.