TERRORISM SPREADS TO PANGASINAN

Attackers hurt 6 cops in firefight

LINGAYEN–The bus terminal of Victory Liner here was attacked late evening of November 26 by still unidentified men who left five buses completely torched, one employee and six policemen wounded in a shootout that ensued.

Police are still investigating the motive for the attack and dragnet operations have been extended to the provinces of Tarlac and Nueva Ecija.

P/Chief Supt. Luizo Ticman, Region 1 police director, said investigators are “looking at all angles” including links to similar incidents that happened recently at the Victory Liner terminal in Cubao, Quezon City and at the San Fabian station of Victory Liner’s sister company, Five Star Bus.

Damage is initially estimated at P20 million.

Police Supt. Harris Fama, Lingayen police chief, identified the wounded policemen as PO3s Daniel Sison and Alex de Guzman, PO2 Reynaldo Domalanta, PO1s Herman Camba, Armeno Abarabar and Ramon Valencerina and civilian Villaflor Moyano.

Moyano, a Victory Liner employee, suffered third degree burns as he was inside one of the buses when it was set on fire.

At press time, Sison is in critical condition.

Based on information gathered by The PUNCH, the suspects, believed to be a group of 10, approached a security guard at the terminal at around 11:40 p.m. and initially made queries before they disarmed the watchman.

Fama said the police officers who responded to the scene were on a routine night patrol.

Ticman and P/Sr. Supt. Percival Barba, police provincial director, visited the policemen Thursday morning in the hospitals and awarded each with Medalya ng Sugatang Magiting for valor in fighting it out with the suspects.

Witnesses said the suspects immediately fired at the policemen who arrived at the scene.

Some of the suspects, who later fled the scene on board two white vans, were also reportedly wounded during the exchange of fire.

Firemen from Lingayen and the neighboring town of Binmaley contained the fire.

Meanwhile, Governor Amado Espino Jr., in a statement, said “This is an unconscionable and arrogant display of terrorism, destabilizing the normal flow of economic activities,” he said, adding that whoever is behind this dastardly act will not escape the long arm of the law.”#

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