MORE NEWS, NUEVA ECIJA

Rookie cop, informer shot dead in N. Ecija ‘buy bust’
By Liam Anacleto

TALAVERA, Nueva Ecija — A rookie policeman and an informer were shot dead allegedly by a Muslim toughie they were supposed to arrest during a failed drug "buy bust" operation night of April 7 in Barangay San Pascual, this town.

Talavera town police chief Supt. Arnel Santiago identified the fatalities as PO1 Michael Arellano of 41 Rizal St., Estipona, Pura, Tarlac, and civilian agent Rudy Hidalgo Sr.

Arellano died of wounds caused by bullets fired from a Cal. 45 handgun. He died on the spot.

Hidalgo died on arrival at the Dr. Paulino J. Garcia Memorial Research and Medical Center in Cabanatuan City to where he was taken.

Nueva Ecija police director Senior Supt. Napoleon C. Taas identified the suspect as Bernie Mamaid, alias "BigTime." He is a notorious drug pusher and hired killer, police said.

The police reported that Arellano and Hidalgo were about to arrest the suspect during a drug "buy bust" operation at about 7 Monday night.

Police said Mamaid fired a Cal. 45 pistol at the duo, then ran away.

Mamaid’s companion, Edward Castillo, 32, was taken in for questioning.

Taas had ordered an in-depth investigation of the circumstances leading to the shooting incident in which a neophyte police officer was tapped to join a police operation of such serious nature.

Taas had also vowed to get Mamaid for the killing of his policeman, who was the first casualty under his watch in the province.

Taas immediately launched a province-wide hunt for Mamaid.

The shooting incident came three days after the Army and the police had inked a compact to tighten their campaign against all forms of criminality, especially terroristic acts.


Ecija PNP, Army sign pact in ‘war vs crime’
By Liam Anacleto

CABANATUAN CITY -- Local police and Army officials signed a memorandum of agreementhere last week for a joint war against criminality and threats to national security, especially insurgency to bring about true and lasting peace in Nueva Ecija.

The agreement called for a determined effort by the police and the military to work hand in hand to maintain peace and order in Nueva Ecija, which has been rocked by a rash of political killings the past years.

“We want a kind of peace that both government organizations believe would later lead to more investments and reduce unemployment in the province,” said Senior Supt. Napoleon Taas, Nueva Ecija police director.

Taas and Lt. Col. Gilbert Gapay, commander of the 3rd Mechanized Infantry Battalion, together with the province’s 32 city and municipal police chiefs and heads of the three Provincial Mobile Groups signed the MOA April 5 here at the provincial police headquarters.

Under the agreement, Army units and the local police would jointly man checkpoints, especially at the provincial boundary, while local PMG teams would accompany military units in internal security operations against the New People’s Army.

The agreement also called for continuing efforts on civil relations. “We want to deprive the rebels the opportunity to return and conduct recruitment activities,” Taas said.

Joint police-military operations reportedly cleared NPA-infested barangays in Jaen, Cabiao, San Jose and Carrang­lan towns and Cabanatuan City.