He was a victim of communist rebels’ ambush and was wounded in the incident, but Guihulngan City Councilor Edison Dela Rita now has to defend himself.
Dela Rita, speaking for the first time after he survived the ambush on Friday morning, stressed he was a victim of the New People’s Army (NPA) attack along a road of the upland Barangay Magsaysay of his city, and was not in cahoots with the rebels.
Dela Rita, in an interview over dyHB Radio Mindanao Network (RMN) in Bacolod City that was aired nationwide, strongly belied insinuations that the attack was a set up by him and the NPA, stressing the allegation was both malicious and unfair.
“Muna sa ginhawa nako pag eskapo aron ko dili mamatay. Sa akong kahimtang, nagpakita ko sa katilingban karon. Sa akong sitwasyon set up pa ba ni?” Dela Rita said in the radio interview.
(I struggled to escape so that I would not end up dead. In my condition, I decided to come out and show myself in public. In my situation, they will still say it was a set up?)
Dela Rita appeared in the radio interview with a bandage around his head and showed the many bruises all over his body. He said he could hardly walk because his body was sore all over, but he decided to appear in public to dispel the insinuations made against him.
Dela Rita was riding a motorcycle driven by one of his subordinates when they were waylaid by a group of heavily armed men at around 7 a.m. in Barangay Magsaysay.
Both Dela Rita and his driver survived the attack, but the councilor’s bodyguard, Michael Jambalos, who was in another motorcycle, was killed.
According to Dela Rita, a bullet graced his head, but he managed to jump off the motorcycle and rolled down a cliff in order to escape from the armed men.
The attack
Dela Rita described the ambush as a most terrifying experience.
Dela Rita said he and his companions just came from his farm in Barangay Balogo and were on their way to the Guihulngan city proper when they were ambushed by armed men in Barangay Magsaysay.
“Nagbiyahe nami kakita mi ug mga tawo sa toong dapit sa karsada. Pagdool namo, nitindog ang duha ka book nag dala na og armalite,” Dela Rita said.
(As we approached the area, we saw several men on the right side of the road. When we got near, we saw two men stood up carrying armalite rifles.)
He said a shootout ensued between the armed men and his security aide but unfortunately Jambalos was killed.
He said he and his driver ran for cover even as they were wounded.
The city police earlier revealed that it was Dela Rita who called up an employee at the City Hall to ask for help. The employee, in turn, alerted the police.
A 15-man police team led by the city police chief, Supt. Arnel Arpon, responded to the alarm. But before they could reach the ambush scene, they, too, were waylaid by the same group of armed men.
Arpon and five other policemen were killed in the ambush while three others in his team were wounded.
No links with NPA
Dela Rita said he was alarmed that after the news of the ambush and death of the policemen came out, talks immediately began to circulate that he was just used by the NPA to kill the policemen from the Guihulngan City Police Station.
Soon after, rumors began to circulate that his ambush was allegedly a set up to lure the police into the area.
Dela Rita said he neither know any members of the NPA in the Negros Island Region (NIR) nor had any dealing with anyone of them.
“Ako lang hangyo (to the public) dili palabihan nila akong sitwasiyon. Ako pay tagtungod ako pay idoot. Akoa pa gyud sala,” Dela Rita said.
(I asked the public not to make my situation worse than it already is. I am the victim here. Don’t make this out to be my fault.)