Four individuals were wounded during a police operation in Barangay San Juan Bano, Arayat, Pampanga on Saturday, June 27.
Colonel Ricardo David, Pampanga Police Provincial Office (PPO) Director, said that police operatives responded to reports of armed men firing their weapons in the area.
The police official added that the suspects allegedly opened fire on responding officers, prompting an armed encounter.
David said the police officers used "appropriate force in accordance with standard operational procedures."
Authorities recovered several firearms and an explosive from the scene, including a caliber .45 pistol, an M16 rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun, a caliber .38 revolver, a carbine rifle, and a hand grenade.
The four wounded individuals were taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment and are now under police custody.
David said one of them is a former member of an armed group, who surrendered to the government in 2018.
Police are preparing criminal charges against the suspects.
The Pampanga Police Forensic Unit is conducting examination of the recovered firearms to determine whether they were used in previous crimes.
