DISCOVERED. The high-power firearms owned by communist guerillas recovered by troops belonging to the Army's 66th Infantry Battalion in Sitio Danawan, Barangay Manurigao in New Bataan, Davao de Oro, on Tuesday afternoon (Feb. 25, 2020). Army officials say civilian tip-offs have proven vital to the recovery of the firearms. (Photo courtesy of Eastmincom)
DAVAO CITY – Government troops discovered 11 high-power firearms belonging to the New People's Army (NPA) in New Bataan town, Davao de Oro on Tuesday afternoon, an official said Wednesday.
Capt. Jerry Lamosao, head of the Public Affairs Office of the Army's 10th Infantry Division (ID), said in a press briefing here Wednesday that the recovered firearms consist of four M16 rifles, an M14 rifle, two AK47 rifles, a Garand rifle, a Carbine rifle, and two M203 grenade launchers.
Lamosao said the firearms were found in Sitio Danawan, Barangay Manurigao by 66th Infantry Battalion troops following a tip-off from two former NPA leaders and several concerned citizens in the area.
The two surrenderers also revealed the weakening of the NPA units in the province following the mass surrender of communist rebels in recent months, the Army official said.
“We see to it that we will be the first to recover the firearms. If not, it will be used by the NPA to terrorize the community,” Lamosao said, noting that the NPA usually hide their firearms in strategic locations for easy retrieval during an armed encounter with government troops.
Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Jose Faustino Jr., commander of Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom), called on all Army units to continue supporting the peace initiatives of the local government units while "relentlessly running after" the rebels.
"Let us continue to support the peace initiatives of our local government unit counterparts so that, hand-in-hand, we can sustain the peace gains we have achieved the previous year," Faustino said. (PNA)
