Military, police coordination cited during NPA raid

DAVAO DEL NORTE, Feb. 26 (PIA)--- Military officials in Eastern Mindanao and local government executives of Davao Oriental Tuesday gave credit to the coordination between the police and the military at the height of the New People’s Army (NPA) raid on Mati City Police Station on Feb. 15.

During the recognition ceremony held at the vicinity of Mati City Police Station,  Provincial Gov. Corazon N. Malanyaon gave her salute to the police and the military personnel who held their line during the gun-battle against the NPAs, repelling the lawless elements from taking over the police station.

She spoke well of the “preparedness and the coordination” sparked by “good leadership and bravery” of  the police and the military elements of Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)  701st Infantry Brigade based in Sitio Magay, Brgy. Don Martin Marunda, Mati City.

 Police regional director, Police Chief Supt.  Wendy Rosario in the same occasion said the police engaged in a 15-minute gun-battle with the  raiding NPAs belong to guerilla front (GF) 18 about 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 15.

One police was wounded during the gun-battle, while two died and four were wounded from the responding 701st Inf. Bde. team, due to improvised explosive device (IED) explosion.

He looked at such coordinated moves of the military and the police as “living proof of your dedication by performing best beyond your call of duty”, citing them as “models of exemplary service.”

Major General Aurelio Baladad, AFP Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) commander, in the same occasion cited such action of the police and the military as a “good example of how coordination between the AFP and the AFP really works” in the province of Davao Oriental.

While, coordination was a much disputed word between the military and the police at the national level, he noted coordination in Davao Oriental as worthy of being modelled because of the deep involvement of the local government unit (LGU) in waging peace, security and development.

He gave credit to Gov. Malanyaon for the united effort to establish peace in the province and to address insurgency which, he said, carries factors beyond military and police solutions particularly politics, socio-economic, cultural, legal and diplomacy.

He assured the constituents of Davao Oriental and the City of Mati that the AFP and the PNP “is behind every aspect of peace and development”.

To beef up  security from NPA threats, Maj. Gen. Eduardo  Ano, commanding general of the 10th Inf. Brigade, revealed that his command will add one battalion, making up to three military battalions to guard the peripheries of Davao Oriental against entries of NPAs from nearby provinces.

He also said that the military and the police forces in the province had strengthened their ties  through the Peace and Security Coordinating Committee to fortify coordination and defenses against lawless elements. (PIA 11/ Jeanevive Duron-Abangan)