GOVERNMENT soldiers stumbled upon a cache of ammunition and firearms believed to be owned by the New People's Army (NPA) hidden inside a banana plantation in Barangay Dominga, Calinan District, Davao City, last August 16, 2017.
According to the 16th Infantry Battalion (IB), they first received information about the presence of rebels at Purok 8, Sitio Quibaton in Dominga.
They found one M1 Garand rifle with 32 rounds of ammunition; one caliber .357 revolver with 25 rounds; one magazine of Super 38 Revolver with 63 rounds; 129 rounds of ammunition for carbine rifle; 15 rounds of ammunition for Garand rifle; two steel ammunition box; four handheld radios; military uniforms, six pairs of combat boots, and a bandolier.
Meanwhile, 16th IB commander Lieutenant Colonel Darren E. Comia lauded the active support of the community in tipping off to them the activities of the rebels within their localities.
"Despite being relatively new in the Area of Operation (AO), we felt the support of the different stakeholders in our new AO. The tip of a concerned civilian resident is a clear indication that the communities on the ground are supporting the government in its fight against the CT’s that threatens the security and safety of the people,” he said.
Colonel Ernesto Torres, brigade commander of 1003rd Infantry Brigade, urged the public to report to them any movement by the NPA so that they can prevent the rebels from conducting further atrocities in their areas.
"We encourage everyone to support our government forces by providing relevant information on the location of the armed group, sympathizers and their arms cache,” Torres said.