Two officers sacked after rebels attack Bukidnon police station

(Updated 1:04 p.m.) Two ranking police officers in Bukidnon in southern Philippines were relieved from their posts after suspected communist rebels succeeded in raiding a police station in the province on Tuesday. The two officials who were fired were Bukidnon provincial director Senior Superintendent Cris Gonzalodo and Malitbog Police Station chief Senior Inspector Alexander Eugenio. Chief Superintendent Conrado Laza, director of the Northern Mindanao Regional Police, said the two officials were sacked for failing to prevent 50 suspected New People's Army rebels from carting away at least eight high-powered firearms from the Malitbog Police Station in Bukidnon. "The police personnel of Malitbog will be subjected to retraining," he said. At the National Police headquarters in Camp Crame, police spokesman Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr. said Gonzalodo and Eugenio "will undergo investigation for apparent neglect of duty, operational lapses and command responsibility precipitating in that unfortunate incident." Cruz added that the incident could have been prevented "had the local PNP units heeded the guidance of National Headquarters to maintain operational readiness and initiate a pro-active defensive posture against possible hostilities by domestic threat groups." "It was a very swift raid," said Maj. Eugenio Julion Osias, spokesman of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division. "Some of them were on camouflage." He said the rebels belonged to the Guerrilla Front 4-A under one Lino Namatidong, alias Dahun. Lianga attack Laza said all police commanders in Mindanao were already alerted against possible attacks from the NPA because of a foiled rebel raid in Lianga, Surigao del Sur last week. Laza said the Bukidnon raid occurred around 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday when one of the rebels, wearing an Army uniform, posed as a solider and told the cops on duty at the Malitbog Police Station that he will file a complaint against someone. After the poser was allowed entry, his comrades reportedly rushed to the station, which was only being manned by six policemen. "They were told not to fight, they said all they wanted are the firearms," said Laza. According to a report from Camp Crame, the rebels fled to the mountainous area of San Luis in Malitbog after the raid. - VVP/RSJ, GMA News