Troops recover arms caches of NPA rebels

TWELVE high-powered firearms of the New People’s Army (NPA) stashed in different locations were discovered Saturday, May 2, by the units under the Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom), officials announced.

Lieutenant Colonel Ezra Balagtey, Eastmincom spokesperson, said the first arms cache was discovered Saturday morning by the troops of the Army’s 72nd Infantry Battalion (IB) led by Lieutenant Colonel Rey Alvarado at Sitio Camad in Camutan village, Antipas, North Cotabato.

The arms cache contain one M-16 Bushmaster Rifle, one M-16 Norinco rifle, one M-79 grenade launcher, one improvised explosive device, ammunitions and magazines.

Balagtey said that another arms cache containing of two M-16 Armalite rifles was discovered Saturday by the 72nd IB in Magsaysay village, Antipas, North Cotabato.

The discovery was made possible through the revelation of a political leader of the NPA who surrendered to 72nd IB earlier, Balagtey said.

He said that about noontime Saturday, troops of the Army’s 67th IB under Lieutenant Colonel Louie Dema-ala seized four AK-47 rifles, one M-14 rifle, one Garand rifle, and one M-79 grenade launcher at Sitio Alimot in Salvacion village, Trento, Agusan del Sur.

The location of the arms cache was revealed by a former rebel, who surrendered last April to the 67th IB.

He added that Alvarado and Dema-ala reported the former NPA rebels revealed to them that the NPA strength is dwindling and are under pressure with the loss of their mass bases, which led them to stash their firearms in arms caches.

Major General Jose Faustino, Jr., commander of the Eastmincom, has ordered all units under his command to continuously support the implementation of peace initiatives of the different local government units (LGUs) in their respective area.

“The way that the NPAs are stashing their firearms manifest the dwindling manpower of the armed group. Let us, therefore, continue to support the different LGUs in their peace initiatives and the implementation of Enhanced Local Integration Program to encourage other NPA members to return to the folds of the law,” Faustino stated in his directive. (SunStar Zamboanga)