A police convoy assisting the retrieval of anti-Covid vaccines from Calbayog City was ambushed Tuesday in Pinabacdao town, Samar.
Calbayog City Police station chief Lieutenant Aldrin Lugnasin said the convoy, consisting of their police car and another vehicle from the city government, was cruising the highway at 1:30 pm when shots were fired from the opposite side of the road.
A few seconds later, an alleged improvised explosive device (IED) exploded on a roadside as the police car tried to speed off towards Tacloban City. The vehicle only sustained minor damages, and all four policemen on board were unharmed. The city government’s vehicle escaped unscathed and drove ahead.
Lugnasin told PressOne.ph that his men took cover a few meters from the blast site anticipating another wave of attack, which did not happen.
He suspects that the perpetrators are members of the New People’s Army (NPA), who are still operating in the area.
“They were targeting the police car because the IED went off when our car passed by,” he said.
Investigators are also eying the possibility that the attack was a retaliation following a recent skirmish with the rebel group. Ryan Sorote
Scenes after a police convoy from Calbayog City was ambushed at Pinabacdao, Samar, by alleged members of the New People’s Army, Tuesday, July 27. (Samar Provincial Police Office)