Maguindanao top cop sacked after ambush of town police chief, wounded policeman awarded

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 31 Aug) – The Philippine National Police sacked the chief of the Maguindanao police hours after a town police chief in the province and a fellow policeman were killed in an ambush Tuesday morning.

_{PCol. Christopher W. Panapan. Photo from the Maguindanao Police Community Affairs Development Facebook page}

Brig. Gen. Robert Rodriguez, the PNP Directorate for Personnel and Records Management, signed the memorandum relieving Col. Christopher Panapan as Maguindanao Police Director.
 
Col. Roel Rullan Sermese replaced Panapan.
 
Sermese used to be assigned with the Police Regional Office in the Soccsksargen region.
 
The relief of Panapan came hours after the Ampatuan town police chief, Lt. Reynaldo Samson, was killed along with fellow policeman Cpl. Salipudin Endab.
 
As this developed, Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos and the PNP chief, Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr., arrived in a hospital in Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat and conferred awards to three cops wounded in Tuesday’s ambush.
 
Abalos conferred the Medalya ng Kadakilaan and Medalya ng Sugatang Magiting to Senior MSgt. Reynante Quinalayo, Corporals Rogelio dela Cuesta and Marc Clint Dayaday.
 
Maj. Reggie Abillera, spokesperson of the Maguindanao Police, said Samson and his men were out to arrest in Barangay Kapinpilan in Ampatuan a person long wanted for robbery.
 
Failing to find the person, Samson and his team turned back to their station but were met with a hail of bullets along the way.
 
Police investigators said the beleaguered policemen managed to return fire and a brief firefight ensued until teams of policemen arrived in the scene that sent the gunmen scampering.
 
The police in the Bangsamoro region have been executing the One-Time-Big-Time Implementation of Warrant of Arrest in the region with more than 3,000 arrest warrants yet to be served.
 
After the ambush on Tuesday, Abillera said policemen and soldiers are now on the trail of the group of Guipar Abdulkarim alias Commander Boy Jacket, whom they believed was behind the ambush.
 
Abillera said Abdulkarim is with his followers Sala Tunda, Johari Abdulbasser Guinaid, Phepe Saptulah, Abdulrah Sapal alias Bro Sapal and Bobot Kamsa alias Borgo.
 
Police said the policemen managed to return fire and a brief firefight ensued until teams of policemen arrived at the scene and pursued the scampering gunmen. (Rommel G. Rebollido / MindaNews)