A cousin of my wife slash ex-wife married a school teacher. It is funny sometimes how life changes those we think we know best. Charity taught for 7 years, until 2000 when she used her university major, Criminology, to get a better paying job with the PNP, or Philippine National Police. Assigned to the Provincial Police Headquarters in our capital, Prosperidad, she spent the next 8 years learning the ropes. In 2008 she took advantage of a lateral entry programme to become a police investigator. In April of 2011 she was made Chief of Police for the municipality of Trento, the next town to the south of us, about 3 kilometers along the 2 lane road we call a "hiway."
On July 31st, at 330 AM, Charity was on duty at her station. Amazingly she had brought her infant daughter to work with her and was sleeping with her in her office, along with the child's nanny. 2 Isuzu trucks and a van pulled into the town centre and stopped at strategic positions around the municipal government compound. By chance a police sentry took notice and gave an alert but by then 40 guerillas had begun launching rifle grenades and pounding the compound walls with an M60 crew served machine gun.
Charity woke of course and after shoving the nanny and the baby into a closet at the back of the office grabbed her M16 and took a position at an office window. Already 1 paramilitary (from my group, BULIF) was killed. By chance, just 12 hours prior, she had received 2 new detachments to beef up her southern sector, and it was these re-inforcements who managed to save the day.
Maoists always take the path of least resistance. If you can keep them at bay for an hour you almost always see them withdraw. The 40 guerillas, with no casualties withdrew on foot, splitting up as they always do. A BULIF detachment from another adjoining municipality, Santa Josefa, ran right into some of the 200 guerillas who held blocking positions around the centre of Trento and a second para, 60 years old, was killed as well.
I came home a few days later and found Charity had already left for Manila. This past Monday marked the PNP's 110th Anniversary. The Government uses the day to dole out medals and promotions and with perfect timing cousin Charity became the toast of the nation. President Aquino awarded her the PNP's top medal and then asked the Secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government, or DILG, under which the PNP serves, why Charity hadn't been promoted to Sr.Inspector, the PNP's top field rank. Of course this resulted in an on the spot promotion for her.
Her husband, my wife's cousin, has a no-show job with the San Franz water utility, but spends his days with the para. He's pissed she insisted on bringing the baby to work. The Maoists don't kill gratuitously and if they had overun the garrison I am sure the baby would have been safe but the entire front of the garrison is pockmarked by M60 rounds. The firefight certainly could have killed the baby and so he has a point.
The next day after the attack, 2 men being treated for gunshots in Bislig, over the provincial line in Surigao del Sur Province, were bagged by the army as having taken part in the attack. The NPA, or New Peoples Army as the Maoists call themselves, have their own medics and physicians and the 2 men had moderate wounds so IF they are NPA, they weren't at Trento. Of course, with army methods anyone would admit to anything. Suprisingly the army just charged a Captain and 3 seargents with Torture for an incident 3 weeks ago in Basilan Province, on the western coast of Mindanao. They took an Abu Sayyaf guerilla and gave him a gasoline enema by shoving a 1 liter glass cola bottle up his rectum as he was bent over a saw horse, in addition to burning his face and genitals with an oxy-acetylene torch. That is par for the course. The shocking thing is that they are being charged. So that explains the 2 men in Bislig.
Then, this past Monday, the army launched a push and the gunships (MG520s) have been buzzing us all week. BULIF has been operating across the line in Surigao del Sur where we lost another para on Monday, who was killed along with 1 army soldier from the 26th IB. At least we killed 12 guerillas, right?
The interesting thing is that over the last 2 weeks the NPA has launched 4 attacks with 200 plus gueriilas in each. The usual force is less than 75 guerillas so things are heating up.
On July 31st, at 330 AM, Charity was on duty at her station. Amazingly she had brought her infant daughter to work with her and was sleeping with her in her office, along with the child's nanny. 2 Isuzu trucks and a van pulled into the town centre and stopped at strategic positions around the municipal government compound. By chance a police sentry took notice and gave an alert but by then 40 guerillas had begun launching rifle grenades and pounding the compound walls with an M60 crew served machine gun.
Charity woke of course and after shoving the nanny and the baby into a closet at the back of the office grabbed her M16 and took a position at an office window. Already 1 paramilitary (from my group, BULIF) was killed. By chance, just 12 hours prior, she had received 2 new detachments to beef up her southern sector, and it was these re-inforcements who managed to save the day.
Maoists always take the path of least resistance. If you can keep them at bay for an hour you almost always see them withdraw. The 40 guerillas, with no casualties withdrew on foot, splitting up as they always do. A BULIF detachment from another adjoining municipality, Santa Josefa, ran right into some of the 200 guerillas who held blocking positions around the centre of Trento and a second para, 60 years old, was killed as well.
I came home a few days later and found Charity had already left for Manila. This past Monday marked the PNP's 110th Anniversary. The Government uses the day to dole out medals and promotions and with perfect timing cousin Charity became the toast of the nation. President Aquino awarded her the PNP's top medal and then asked the Secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government, or DILG, under which the PNP serves, why Charity hadn't been promoted to Sr.Inspector, the PNP's top field rank. Of course this resulted in an on the spot promotion for her.
Her husband, my wife's cousin, has a no-show job with the San Franz water utility, but spends his days with the para. He's pissed she insisted on bringing the baby to work. The Maoists don't kill gratuitously and if they had overun the garrison I am sure the baby would have been safe but the entire front of the garrison is pockmarked by M60 rounds. The firefight certainly could have killed the baby and so he has a point.
The next day after the attack, 2 men being treated for gunshots in Bislig, over the provincial line in Surigao del Sur Province, were bagged by the army as having taken part in the attack. The NPA, or New Peoples Army as the Maoists call themselves, have their own medics and physicians and the 2 men had moderate wounds so IF they are NPA, they weren't at Trento. Of course, with army methods anyone would admit to anything. Suprisingly the army just charged a Captain and 3 seargents with Torture for an incident 3 weeks ago in Basilan Province, on the western coast of Mindanao. They took an Abu Sayyaf guerilla and gave him a gasoline enema by shoving a 1 liter glass cola bottle up his rectum as he was bent over a saw horse, in addition to burning his face and genitals with an oxy-acetylene torch. That is par for the course. The shocking thing is that they are being charged. So that explains the 2 men in Bislig.
Then, this past Monday, the army launched a push and the gunships (MG520s) have been buzzing us all week. BULIF has been operating across the line in Surigao del Sur where we lost another para on Monday, who was killed along with 1 army soldier from the 26th IB. At least we killed 12 guerillas, right?
The interesting thing is that over the last 2 weeks the NPA has launched 4 attacks with 200 plus gueriilas in each. The usual force is less than 75 guerillas so things are heating up.
