Did you know that on this day, December 3, in 2017, eight brave personnel of the Binuangan Municipal Police Station in Misamis Oriental became local heroes after standing their ground against overwhelming odds? In the pre-dawn hours, around 200 communist NPA rebels launched an attack on their station. For two and a half hours, the outnumbered defenders fought fiercely until the attackers were forced to withdraw. For their extraordinary courage, the eight officers, led by Police Chief Senior Inspector Dante Hallazgo, were awarded the Medalya ng Kagalingan and granted special promotions by the National Police Commission—an honor bestowed for valor “above and beyond the call of duty.”
Senior Inspector Dante Hallazgo and three of his men—SPO1 Ramonito Zambas, PO3 Alberto Bernadas, and PO1 Josua Satur—sustained shrapnel wounds from a grenade fired through an M203 launcher during the attack. Among them, only PO3 Bernadas, shown below, required hospitalization for immediate medical treatment.
The police station, along with its patrol vehicle, sustained significant damage from the NPA attack.
Police recovered several Molotov bombs left behind after the NPA rebels withdrew.
Read the police report below.
The eight police officers — Senior Inspector Dante H. Hallazgo (Chief of Police), SPO4 Lorimer Z. Cabil, SPO1 Ramonito M. Zambas, PO3 Alberto A. Bernadas, PO3 Crispin H. Dalugdug, PO2 Necil O. Japuz, PO1 Josua G. Satur, and PO1 Laila S. Gumahin — were awarded the Medalya ng Kagalingan for their act of valor, recognized as “above and beyond the call of duty.”
On December 6, then Police Deputy Director General Archie Francisco F. Gamboa, together with PCSupt Timoteo G. Pacleb, Regional Director of PRO-10, members of the Directorial Staff, and other senior police officials, visited the bullet-riddled Binuangan Municipal Police Station to personally award medals to the gallant officers. All the awardees received their medals onsite, except for PO3 Bernadas, who was confined at Capitol University Medical Center in Cagayan de Oro City for treatment of his wounds. PO3 Bernadas later received his medal at his hospital bed. All police officers also received cash assistance.
Senior Inspector Dante H. Hallazgo (Chief of Police)
SPO4 Lorimer Z. Cabil
SPO1 Ramonito M. Zambas
PO3 Crispin H. Dalugdug
PO2 Necil O. Japuz
PO1 Josua G. Satur
PO1 Laila S. Gumahin
PO3 Alberto A. Bernadas
with photos by Pnp ProTen Rpio CampAlagar, Lemuel Gonda, Binuangan MPS
