Thoughts on the NPA Raid on the Cantilan Police Outpost

It was a slow Sunday afternoon; most people were just finishing their lunch; some were getting ready for their siesta; unaware that the police were on red alert against the NPA. Rapid bursts of gunfire, which people at first mistook for fireworks, tore the quiet, complacent Cantilangnon air.

A band of NPA attacked the Cantilan Police Station on Sunday, September 23, 2007 between 12:30 and 1:00 pm. The rebels drove off with 18 armalite rifles, assorted firearms and ammunitions after entering the police station that was manned by two policemen who were naturally caught off-guard. The raid lasted about 30 minutes. There were no casualties—the two policemen on duty were slightly injured. The windows of the front office were destroyed and interior walls of the police station were peppered with bullets. After the raid, the convoy noisily left town and headed for Babuyan, a mountain barrio in Carrascal where they left their rented vehicles to melt back into the mountains hours before the PNP contingent based in Noventa arrived at around 4 p.m.

Interviews with witnesses indicated that the raiders came very well prepared and coordinated. A blue cargo truck and a white van entered town like a convoy at around 10 a.m. Witnesses noticed the truck because it had a lot of passengers in the open back which was not unusual on Sundays when people from neighboring towns come to Cantilan beaches in large groups. The passengers wore uniform yellow shirts with white trim on the sleeves. Residents around the police station noticed several young women standing around the stores and corners but didn’t cause alarm since the street was a busy one. A grocery store is located a couple of houses across from the station.

At around 12:30 the two vehicles stopped in front of the police station—this time, the blue truck was covered with tarpaulin. A witness coming out of the grocery store saw the raiders in full military gear come out of the truck, shooting at the police station. The women who were seen earlier were heard telling the residents and the shoppers to that they were the NPA and to stay calm because they were not going to harm the civilians. The rebels were also heard shouting, “Mabuhay Alsa ng Masa, and “Ayaw kamo kahadlok kay dili kami dautan.” Meantime, the two exit roads from Cantilan were blocked by two other trucks full of rebels. One was in Malitangtang and the other was at the fork between Panikian and Carrascal. The rebels blocked the roads with burning tires. When the raid was over, the rebels left town and were allegedly heard to shout, “kasayon ra nang Cantilan.” They also left copies of their hand-written manifesto alleging Cantilan police corruption and drug use; PNP and AFP abuses against activist leaders, militant organizations, mass media and the church but mostly denouncing the “US-Macapagal-Arroyo regime’s” programs against the rebels and inciting the people to join them in arms against the government.

Further interviews with witnesses revealed that the Noventa contingent were at the town market that morning to do their weekly shopping, unaware that they were being observed by the raiding group. As soon as they arrived back at their post in Noventa, they got word that the police station was being raided. The outpost is about 30 minutes away from Carrascal. They could have rushed back to Cantilan but it took them four hours before they arrived at the police station. Could they have realized that if they came back to confront the rebels, they could have been wiped out? They were surely outnumbered.

I am of the opinion that it was also fortunate that there were only two policemen at the station and the remaining officers did not come to “help” even if they could hear the gunfire. It would have been a sorry loss of additional arms and probably carnage.

Our very wise policemen are very well on their way to Butuan where they were supposedly transferred. Meantime, our police station is being manned by strange men in uniform and I must say I’m not comfortable that they are around. The next NPA raid might be bloody.