By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO) director, Police Senior Superintendent Rodolfo Castil, Jr., lauded the members of the Cauayan Municipal Police Station after five of their officers escaped an ambush by suspected members of the New People’s Army (NPA) earlier this week.
“They didn’t fall back and instead fought off the 30 armed rebels,” the NOPPO chief said during an interview yesterday morning.
The five officers were identified as Senior Police Officer 1 (SPO1) Jeorge Anthony Lorrenton, Police Officer 3 (PO3) Turk Libo-on, PO2 Thom Amable Mamigo, PO1 John A. Mabayag, and PO1 Sunny Boy Llena.
According to the police officers, they were conducting a routine patrol when they began taking fire. The cops immediately swerved into an embankment, using it for cover.
A sport utility vehicle (SUV) happened to pass during the encounter, which both distracted the rebels and allowed law enforcement to take defensive positions.
All five officers survived the ambush unscathed, along with rescuing the three civilians trapped inside the SUV, two of which were Swedish nationals.
Castil believes the deadly ambush in Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental earlier this year served as a lesson for police officers.
He added, police are currently pursuing NPA rebels in Cauayan./WDJ