A unit of the New People’s Army in Camarines Norte raided a police outpost in Purok 6, Barangay Dumagmang, Labo, Camarines Norte last Friday evening. The police combat troops manning the outpost belonged to the 2nd Provincial Mobile Force Company (PMFC) of the Philippine National Police (PNP), the unit directly involved in the recent murders of civilians during the past weeks.

The tactical offensive yielded eight high-powered rifles including an M60 machine gun, and 6 other pistols. Five police forces were killed-in-action while two others were wounded.

“The tactical offensive is response to the fascist onslaught of the PNP to the people of Camarines Norte,” said Carlito Cada, NPA-Camarines Norte spokesperson. It was carried out less than a month after the recent spate of killings perpetrated by military and police forces in the province.

On February 25, state forces killed Captain Geoffry Castillio of Barangay Macogon, Labo in his residence in the said barangay. The following day, about 70 combined forces of the 2nd PMFC (acting as lead unit), 94th SAC and other police units, raided the house of Barangay Dumagmang’s Kagawad Melandro Verzo in Purok 3, Barangay Talobatib, Labo and murdered him for “resisting” arrest.

On March 1, three residents of Barangay Lanot, Mercedes were simultaneously murdered by police officers after “resisting arrest” while supposedly being served warrants.

“These operations are part of the PNP’s Simultaneous Anti-Criminality Law Enforcemant Operation (SACLEO) led by Police Provincial Director Julius Guadamor,” according to Cada, “PNP-Bicol’s bloody version of the extrajudicial killings rampant across the country.”

After the armed offensive, the PNP issued a thinly-veiled threat against unarmed civilians. PNP’s officer-in-charge, Lt Gen. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar said on Saturday order its units in Bicol to “identify those who may have aided these NPAs in the conduct of their ambush and to bring them to court.”