BRGY. MINOYAN, MURCIA -- Although the Philippine Army and Philippine National Police have tagged the raid early Sunday morning by suspected New People's Army rebels of a police community assistance center in Malasibog, Escalante City, as "an isolated case," Negros Occidental Gov. Joseph Marañon said yesterday the incident should be thoroughly investigated.

Marañon said the probe should focus on why the weapons of the police and civilian volunteers on duty were so easily taken from them without an encounter.

Escalante Mayor Santiago Barcelona, meanwhile, said it was unfortunate that the personnel detailed to the COMPAC were caught unprepared. He noted that they were warned a week before the incident, not to let their guards down.

Barcelona said he believes, though, that there is no real rebel force in Escalante even as he cited documents confiscated by the army indicating that the rebels are on an expansion program in northern Negros.

But the NPA movement is not gathering forces in northern Negros Occidental, 3rd Infantry Division commanding officer, Maj. Gen. Alphonsus Crucero, presiding officer at the turnover of command rites of the 303rd Infantry Brigade here, said yesterday.

Citing excerpts from Chinese sage Sun Tzu's "The Art of War," Crucero said what happened was part of the dynamics of insurgency, that, "When the enemy sleep, they attack; it's the law of the game. That is part of the strategy."

He said he doesn't believe that the rebel force in the north has strengthened, and that, the raid could have been just an effort to disrupt the law enforcers.

Police provincial director, Senior Supt. Charles Calima Jr., yesterday also said the incident could have been prevented had the COMPAC personnel - led by PO3 Antonio Bravo - been alert and had observed security measures.

He said the 38 policemen presently undergoing Scout training in Hinigaran town under Senior Insp. Argel Ancheta will not be allowed to graduate until they have engaged rebels in a firefight, as part of their test mission.

Calima said he has standing orders to strenghten police intelligence monitoring and gathering, to pre-empt a similar incident.

Insp. Mateo Maguate, Escalante police chief, said they will determine whether residents in the vicinity of the COMPAC have knowledge of the incident.

Bacolod City police director, Senior Supt. Pedro Merced, meanwhile, said his unit is more concerned with the legal front organizations and sparrow units of the NPAs, in avoiding being the next target.

He said the BCPO will remain on alert and on a defensive stance through the deployment of troops on a 24-hour basis everyday.

Nine firearms from the COMPAC were seized by about 30 to 40 NPA fighters, who include one woman, and who overran the detachment, initial investigations revealed.

The rebels took two M-14, two M-16 and three Garand rifles, a .45 caliber pistol and one M-60 light machine gun.

PO3 Bravo, detachment commander, and the 1st PMG director, Supt. Flomar Natuel, were relieved from their posts following the raid.*GCT

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