ZAMBOANGA CITY: The communist rebel group New People’s Army has owned up the attack on government troops and the raid at a security agency in southern Philippines. Rigoberto Sanchez, a rebel spokesman, said the NPA Southern Mindanao Regional Command praised the 6th Pulang Bagani Company of the ComVal-Davao Gulf Sub-Regional Command and the ComVal-Davao East Coast Sub-Regional Command for their successful joint tactical offensive in Tagum City and Mawab town in Compostela Valley province. He said rebels, disguised as agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, raided the headquarters of the Davao Security and Investigation Agency, Inc. (Dasia) in Tagum City and carted six automatic rifles, two shotguns, ammunition and bullet proof vests. He said the raid was just near the police base, but authorities were not even aware of the daring assault on the security agency owned by the Escandor family. “The disarming of the Dasia Security Agency was a punitive action against its owner, the Escandor family, who was responsible for various land grabbing offenses against the Matigsalogs in Barangay Salumanay and Sitio Marahan in Marilog District and versus the Ubo Lumads in Baracatan, Toril District, all in Davao City,” Sanchez said.
Al Jacinto