Police Chief, M’langenean Survived Reds Ambush

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

Son of a gun, I just commented today at the social media those two survivors – a student pilot and his instructor – whose plane hit two days ago the mountain of the Sierra Madre at the boundary of Nueva Ecija and Aurora Provinces, here comes my town mate in Mindanao but Singapore based Software Sales Specialist Keren Calapardo sending me at 9 pm today a news link at my inbox in Face Book about a baby and a policeman killed in an ambush along Kilometre 28, Barangay Tikalaan, Talakag, Bukidnon around 5:30 p.m last Thursday by the communist New People’s Army and wounding six other policemen and civilians who were riding in two cars.

Commies Ambushed Survivor Police Lieutenant and Chief of Police Joven Acuesta.
Acuesta on this Face Book's photo grabbed is with wife Marjorie - an elementary
school principal.

When I saw the India-made Mahindra police patrol car (yes Virginia, those overpriced cars the Aquino Administration bought the cops told me are already dilapidated) plunged in a canal I mentally quipped:  “I saw this patrol car three hours earlier when I took a peek at Face Book on my laptop as I encoded my news”.

What startled me as I scanned my IPhone three hours later was the bloodied officer who was half naked lying on a stretcher and being rushed to the hospital was Inspector Joven Acuesta, chief of Bumbaran Municipal Police Station in Lanao del Sur.

Acuesta who?

Gee whiz, he was my fellow awardee as Ten Outstanding SBC Alumni (TOSA) 2017 last September 22 this year at Southern Baptist College in M’lang, Cotabato Province.

During the feting, among the ten awardees only one was absent and that was Joven – a distant relative.

His wife Marjorie, the eloquent school principal of SBC, said he could not attend because he and his cops were on alert against the bad guys somewhere in Lanao.

I just learned today that Joven, a former non-commissioned officer that law enforcers dubbed as “product of the lateral entry program” to Inspector or its military equivalent of a First Lieutenant,  is the chief of police of Bumbaran Municipal Police Station in Lanao del Sur.
Another source, who asked anonymity, messaged me at Face Book by quoting Acuesta daughter Love-Love: "Pls help me pray for our tatay Joven. They were ambushed last night.He lost his hearing and damaged a finger as a result. He's heading to the operating room right now for a surgery".
Acuesta and his men were returning from a command conference at the police regional office in Cagayan de Oro City and were going to their town when the ambush ensued.
Chief Inspector Jemar delos Santos, spokesperson for the Police Regional Office in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (PRO-ARMM) based in Camp Gen. SK Pendatun in Parang, Maguindanao said Acuesta was driving the Toyota Fortuner with the civilians and the four-month old infant Malysha Machorao traveling from Cagayan de Oro City to Wao, Lanao del Sur, when ambushed by the New People’s Army.

The exemplary drama, er, gallantry and the news worthiness of the incident,  Joven, Senior Police Officer 1 Pacifico Cabudoy, and Police Officer 1 Nathaniel Ibal fought out with the Reds and survived the nefarious act.

Just like Army Scout Ranger Captain Jeffrey Buada who will be feted by his proud town Mangaldan, Pangasinan on Tuesday (see my articleTown Honors Army Captain’s Exceptional Gallantry, Chivalry), Inspector Acuesta is a pride too of M’lang town as he put his life at stake just to preserve our way of life (as these Godless commies would transform our country North Korea and Cuba liked style if they succeed) and conserve our freedom and democracy.

Just like Captain Buada who removed his Kevlar helmet and bullet proof vest and laid down his assault rifle in Marawi City for the ISIS terrorists to allow him to get the famished little girl in the middle of the battle, Acuesta did not only fight back under the volleys of fire from the commies but survived the ambush of an estimated 50  armed- to- the- teeth NPA rebels of either Front 53 or 72.

Chief of Police Acuesta who is looking at the 
camera as he is being rushed in dusk
today to a hospital in Bukidnon Province.

Geez that was news! Usually ambushed like this saw government troopers died defenselessly as they were  surprised and trapped inside their vehicle on the treachery laid out by the enemies.

Acuesta just like Buada is a gutsy hero as he probably bobbled, weaved, crawled, and somersaulted against the bullets of the ideologue rebels where some of them chased the wounded but absconding Cabodoy and Ibal. The duo brought themselves at a hospital in Malaybalay City, Bukidnoon.

National Police Chief Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa should promote Acuesta pronto into a Senior Inspector (Captain in the Army) for exceptional gallantry in repulsing the superior in number enemies!

(You can read my selected columns athttp://mortzortigoza.blogspot.com and articles at Pangasinan News Aro. You can send comments too at totomortz@yahoo.com)