On March 19, 2021, a platoon of our uniformed personnel from the 2nd Provincial Mobile Force Company was sent to the vicinity of a road construction project in the municipality of Labo, Camarines Norte that would connect another portion of Quezon province to Camarines Norte to ease the transportation of goods for local farmers and the mobility of the local residents.
This was after the construction company informed our local PNP unit about receiving a demand letter from local CPP-NPA-NDF forces that they have to pay a range of 3% to 5% of the cost of the entire Labo-Tagkawayan Road project as an assurance that the company would not be harassed at the span of the construction. The threat is that they would burn all the equipment being used for the construction project if they would not pay.
At 9:45 p.m on the same day, seven members of the 2PMFC tasked, who were among those tasked to secure the road project and scour the possible staging grounds of the attack were ambushed at the vicinity of Purok 6 in Barangay Dumagmang, Labo, Camarines Norte. As a result, five of our uniformed personnel died while two others were wounded.
To condemn this attack is not enough to express the anger of the men and women of the PNP, especially that the circumstances of their deployment is to secure a project that would benefit the people of Quezon and the Bicol region from the extortion activity of the local Communist Terrorist Group.
Therefore, in consultation with our chief PNP, Police General Debold M. Sinas and in coordination with the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), LtGen. Cirilito Sobejana, I am ordering the Regional Directors of PRO4A, Police Brigadier General Felipe R. Natividad and PRO5, PBGen Bartolome R Bustamante, to mobilize their forces in order to hit back not only on those responsible but also on the NPA operating in their respective Areas of Responsibility (AOR).
Ambushes like this do not usually succeed without the help of the CTG supporters. So I am also ordering the RD, PRO5 to conduct a thorough investigation to identify those who may have aided these NPAs in the conduct of their ambush and to bring them to court.
The CPP-NPA-NDF has been given all the opportunity to sit down in order to give peace and development a chance for the Filipino people. Yet over the years, they repeatedly turned down peace negotiations and instead resort to cowardly attacks even in the time of the pandemic.
Clearly, these people do not understand the language of peace so will deal with them in manner that they fully understand our message that we shall never tolerate this kind of terrorism activity.
To the families of our heroes, I feel your pain and anger over this incident and the most that we could do is to seek justice for them. Be rest assured that we will always be there to provide all the assistance that you deserve.
On behalf of the men and women of the PNP under our Chief PNP, Police General Sinas, I express my deepest condolences and sincerest gratitude for their ultimate sacrifice in the name of service, for the Filipino people.
We also salute our two wounded personnel who stood their ground and continue fighting back with their five brothers in uniform who unfortunately did not survive this attack. I thank you for your courage and I will personally meet you to express my gratitude on behalf of the entire police forces.
