TROOPS, with the support of the community, unearthed a food cache of the New People's Army (NPA) in the province of Zamboanga del Sur, the military reported.
Lieutenant Colonel Jo-ar Herrera, 53rd Infantry battalion commander, said the food cache was unearthed last week in Purok 4, Sitio Lanayan, Gasa village, Lakewood, Zamboanga del Sur.
Herrera said the food cache consist of four 20-liter containers filled with rice and assorted food supplies.
The NPA's food stock was discovered and unearthed based on reports of a certain Ka Marlon, who recently surrendered in Zamboanga del Sur.
Ka Marlon was a former commander of the Guerrilla Front Kara of the NPA's Western Mindanao Regional Party Committee.
Ka Marlon surrendered together with a certain Reno Andang. They yielded two high-powered firearms, which were buried in Dumalian villages, San Miguel, Zamboanga del Sur.
Herrera said the discovery of the food cache will further force the remaining NPA rebels in the hinterlands to surrender.
"Hunger will compel the remnants of communist terrorist groups (NPA) to abandon their fight and eventually return to the folds of law," he said. (SunStar Zamboanga)