SECURITY forces seized 163 improvised explosives during a raid of a New People's Army (NPA) bomb factory in Loreto town in Agusan del Sur.
Capt. Alberto Caber, spokesperson of the military's Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincomm), said the feat marks the largest number of explosives recovered from the rebels in the decades-old counter insurgency operation.
Caber said troops swooped down at the rebel factory in Sitio Mampait, Barangay Kauswagan on Wednesday afternoon, based on information provided by civilian informants.
Caber said there was no firefight reported in the conduct of the operation because insurgents manning the factory left before the soldiers got in.
"The recovered landmines can injure or kill thousands of civilian and can destroy a city by its devastating impact when detonated at the same time," said Caber.
He said the NPA has detonated since 2010 in Eastern Mindanao at least 453 bombs, killing 128 people and injuring 325 others. These attacks, he added, also destroyed government and civilian properties.
"This was where they (rebels) manufacture and store explosives... This is the largest number of (bomb) recovery (from the NPA). This was not accomplished in Visayas and Luzon but we achieved it in Eastern Mindanao," said Caber, adding bombs manufactured in the factory are probably distributed to other rebel areas in Mindanao.
“This is the biggest NPA landmine factory discovered so far. Indeed, the timely recovery of NPA landmines by our troops saved lives of the public," said Eastmincomm commander Lt. Gen. Ricardo Rainier Cruz.
Formal peace negotiations between the government and the National Democratic Front (NDF), representing the NPA and the Communist Party of the Philippines, remain stalled over the past several years.
"The NDF wants to talk peace with the government however they still continue to manufacture weapon of mass destruction. It is clear that the NDF are not really sincere about peace after all. Your AFP-PNP will continue to safeguard the people from NPA extortion, deception and intimidation," said Cruz. (VR/Sunnex)