A forest ranger and three of his companions were wounded in an alleged shootout with police during an operation in Arayat town, Pampanga, on Saturday, June 27.
In a statement, the Pampanga Police Provincial Office identified the forest ranger only by his alias, ‘Ka Arlet,’ a former leader of an armed group linked to communist rebels. He surrendered to the government in 2018 and later became a forest ranger assigned to Mt. Arayat.
Police said the encounter occurred inside a compound in Barangay San Juan Baño.
According to the Pampanga police, officers were conducting a surveillance and casing operation after receiving reports of gunfire in the area.
‘While the operation was underway, police caught an armed man firing his weapon near a store. Instead of surrendering after the authorities identified themselves, he opened fire toward the responding officers,’ the statement said.
Police said the officers returned fire, wounding the four men.
Authorities said they recovered a .45-caliber pistol, an M-16 rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun, a carbine rifle, a .38-caliber revolver, and a hand grenade from the suspects.
The four wounded men were taken to a hospital for treatment.
In a separate Facebook post, the Philippine National Police said alias Ka Arlet returned to the folds of the law in 2018 after previously being associated with the Ka Arlet Group, also known as the Pintados Group, which operated in Pampanga and Bulacan and had links to the Rebolusyonaryong Hukbong Bayan.