Gen. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), ordered on Saturday, June 26, an intensified pursuit and legal offensive against the communist rebels behind the attack on a construction site in Surigao del Sur which resulted in the death of a civilian caretaker and the wounding of two other employees.
"Again these communist rebels attacked non-combatants and another innocent life was lost, Eldrin Daraman, because of their atrocity. This is a proof that they were lying when they said that their attack in Masbate City which killed a college football player was not intentional," said Eleazar.
Based on the report, more than 20 communist rebels stormed the construction site in Purok 2, Barangay Zone 2, in Lanuza and torched the equipment. They eventually killed Daraman and the incident also resulted in the wounding of two other civilians present in the area.
It was reportedly the members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee-Guerrilla Front 30 that attacked the area.
The attack was reportedly triggered by the construction firm's refusal to pay revolutionary taxes.
The rebels also engaged responding elements of the Lanuza Municipal Police Station, the Surigao del Sur 2nd Provincial Mobile Force Company, and the 36th Infantry Battalion in a brief firefight before fleeing.
Eleazar stressed that the attack at the construction site was a violation of International Humanitarian Law and Republic Act 9851 or the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity which specifies as a violation intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population as such or against individual civilians not taking direct part in hostilities or attacks on civilian objects.
The police and the military have launched joint pursuit operations against the communist rebels and PGen Eleazar tasked PNP units in the province to heighten security measures.