NATIVIDAD, Pangasinan - About 20 members of the New People’s Army (NPA) on a mission to collect revolutionary taxes from residents in sitio San Hose, Barangay Cacandongang here may have planned to ambush reinforcements from the 107th Police Mobile Group last Tuesday night.

Senior Inspector Bernardo Aromin said the rebels surrounded his policemen who holed inside a house in the sitio after they were called to check the presence of armed men collecting revolutionary taxes in the area.

The policemen were PO2 Samuel Caspe, PO2 Ruben Abuan, PO1 Armando Torio, PO3 Samson Escobar and another unidentified.

The policemen sought reinforcement after being surrounded although they were prepared to fight it out if they were attacked with their long arms.

But elements of the 107th Police Mobile Group may have sensed that they were being led into an ambush so they delayed their response.

Unable to wait for their intended victims, the NPA rebels withdrew and did not also attack the five policemen who holed themselves inside the house.

Aromin sensed that the rebels may only be after the reinforcement as they did not proceed anymore to attack the five policemen who sought sanctuary in one house and were readying to fight it out.

The following morning Supt. Ruben Catabonan, director of the 107th PMG, and Senior Inspector Aromin went to sitio San Jose to talk to the residents who were being collected of revolutionary taxes by the rebels. (PNA-Demetrio Gapasin)