NPAs behind Davao Penal Colony armory raid - CPP

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) confirmed Sunday that the New People's Army (NPA) was behind the armory raid on the Davao Penal Colony Saturday (not Sunday as initially reported), as it congratulated the NPA for its "notably successful" offensive. In a statement posted on the CPP website (www.philippinerevolution.net), CPP spokesman Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal lauded the NPA Merardo Arce Command, saying it pulled off the raid "without firing a single shot." "Without firing a single shot, NPA Red fighters were able to totally control the area and within 20 minutes haul in 101 assorted firearms, including 50 M-16 and Carbine rifles from the Dapeco's armory. It was one of the biggest NPA arms hauls from the enemy in recent years," Rosal said. He added the big firearms haul will arm more than a hundred new recruits into the NPA waiting for arms to join the next tactical offensives. Rosal added this is a "big blow" against the Arroyo administration. About 30 rebels, some wearing camouflage uniforms with the insignia of a regional military anti-terror unit, barged into the Davao Penal Colony after disarming four guards, regional police Chief Superintendent Andres Caro said. They sought help from two guards at the penal colony's main gate, pretending that one of their vans had a mechanical problem. They disarmed the guards and then proceeded to the prison armory, which they ransacked after overpowering two other guards, Caro told reporters. The rebels also took ammunition and handcuffs, police said. The attackers did not attempt to free any of the estimated 4,000 inmates in the prison for convicted criminals, prison officials said. Police went on full alert after the attack in Davao del Norte, an agricultural province 950 kilometers (595 miles) south of Manila where the insurgents are active. Police officials have suspected that the guerrillas were preparing for an attack after learning they had purchased army uniforms and that dozens of rebels had recently met in a hinterland camp in the province. But it was difficult to ascertain where the rebels would attack, Caro said. The prison attack was among the most daring in a wave of recent rebel assaults. The rebels launched a string of attacks in the central Philippines last Tuesday, setting fire to buildings and equipment at a gold mining company and killing at least three police officers in an ambush, officials said. The rebel attacks took place despite assurances by military chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon that government forces were on track in their campaign to cut the 7,000-member guerrilla force in half by 2010. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo also plans to declare the NPA a terror group under a new anti-terrorism law. The rebels suspended Norwegian-brokered peace talks in 2004, claiming Arroyo's government had instigated their inclusion in U.S. and European terror lists. - GMANews.TV with a report from AP