PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) chief, General Guillermo Lorenzo T. Eleazar has ordered a thorough investigation into the source of thousands of live AK-47 ammunition and rifle grenades seized from three men tagged as New People’s Army (NPA) ‘logistics officers’ in Caraga region last Friday, the Journal Group learned.

“We are questioning the three suspects led by an elected barangay official in Agusan del Sur. What we want to find out here is where did they procure the 4,800 rounds of live caliber 7.62 bullets which could be used by the NPA in attacking more targets in the region and other parts of Mindanao, Police Regional Office 13 (PRO13) director, Brigadier General Romeo M. Caramat Jr. said.

Government investigators have previously said that over 1,000 Russian-made AK-47 assault rifles worth over P52 million were ‘procured’ by the NPA in Region 13 from 2011 to 2013 or during the previous Aquino administration with the help of an owner of a local security company.

An investigation showed that the security agency owner identified as Isidro Lozada was reportedly ‘snatched’ by the rebels in Butuan City and was asked to help purchase AK-47 rifles in Manila. The businessman was reportedly was forced to cooperate with the NPA after he and his family were threatened with harm by the guerrillas.

Last Saturday’s operation in Butuan City resulted in the arrest of Ferdinand Dagium, a 27-year old ‘kagawad’ of Bgy. Magsaysay in Sibagat; his brother Rolando,a 34-year old driver; and Marvin Merencillo,26, of Purok 1, Bgy. Mount Ararat in Bayugan City, Agusan del Sur.

Brig. Gen. Caramat said that when intercepted in Purok 1, Bgy. Pianing in Butuan City around 8:10 p.m. last Friday, the suspects were found in possession of 4,800 pieces of caliber 7.62 ammunition for AK-47 automatic rifles, two rifle grenades and assorted food supplies.

Three motorcycles being driven by the accused were impounded by the local police following the intelligence-driven operations, he added.

“We have reasons to believe that the three are acting as logistics officers of the CPP/NPA Northeastern Mindanao Regional Party Committee. They are the ones procuring weapons and ammunition to the local NPA movement,” Caramat said.

“But right now, we want to know the persons who supplied the three with the more than 4,000 rounds of live AK-47 ammunition which could be used in attacking police and military camps and other government and private targets,” the Caraga police director said.

The official said that members of the PRO13 Regional Intelligence 13 led by Lieutenant Colonel Rommel Villamor, with the assistance of officers from the Butuan City Police Station led by Majors Rodel Dorado and Randie Azote intercepted the three in a checkpoint in Bgy. Pianing.

Soldiers from the Army’ 65th Infantry Battalion also provided support to the policemen during the conduct of the operation in the area which is known for having a considerable number of NPA members and supporters.

The recovered weapons and ammunition as well as the suspects were brought to the Butuan City Police Station 4. Caramat said the suspects will be facing non-bailable charges for illegal possession of explosives under Republic Act 9516 and RA 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulations Act of 2013.

During his last State-of-the-Nation-Address, President Duterte ordered the PNP to look into allegations that a police official whom he did not name, was behind the importation of the AK-47 which landed at the hands of the NPA.

The AK-47, which stands for Avtomat Kalashnikov Model 47 — “avtomat” being Russian for “automatic”—was named after its designer Mikhail Kalashnikov. It has been one of the world’s most famous assault rifles used by Russian, Chinese, Vietnamese and Cambodian troops in the 70s and 80s.

It was the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP CIDG) which investigated the reported sale of 1,004 units of AK-47 rifles to the NPA by Lozada. As a result, 19 police personnel were charged before the Sandiganbayan for the ‘unwitting assistance’ they provided to the controversial gun transaction.

The Journal Group was told by officials privy to the investigation that Lozada was ‘pressured’ by the NPA to purchase the gun legally, meaning its papers passed thru the PNP Civil Security Group and PNP Firearms and Explosives Office.

The official however said that supposed to be, Lozada should have been ‘red-flagged’ after it turned out that he was arranging for the sale of over 1,000 AK-47 rifles when he has less than a couple of hundreds of security guards.

The source said that Lozada was found to have used the name of two other security agencies in applying for the AK-47 licenses. But shortly after the weapons were released from the PNP-FEO storage facility and brought to Caraga via the Butuan City airport, the official said that NPA members were the ones who picked up the rifles.

In the aftermath of a number of attacks staged by NPA rebels armed with high-powered weapons such as AK-47 and M-16 Armalite rifles, President Duterte in 2016 barred private security agencies from owning such assault rifles.

Instead, security agencies in the countryside were only allowed to possess small arms and 12-gauge shotguns since many of their guards including those assigned in mining, logging and road construction projects were found to have easily surrendered their AK-47 and M-16 rifles to attacking NPA guerrillas without putting up a fight.