COMMANDOS from the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) Special Action Force (SAF), who were on a combat mission in Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro, on Friday recovered a huge volume of explosive materials and ammunition being used by the New People’s Army (NPA) to attack security forces, PNP Chief General Rodolfo S. Azurin Jr. said.

Found in a suspected NPA encampment in Sitio Alyanon in Barangay Lisap in Bongabong municipality were six improvised hand grenades, 47 pieces of live 7.62 ammunition, 120 pieces of caliber 5.56 ammunition, and Improvised Explosive Device (IED) components, including a 9-meter long shock tube, a 15-meter long solid wire, a 4-meter stranded wire, 1/4 kilo of ammonium nitrate, assorted nails, bolts and nuts, duct tape and one canister of an improvised landmine, the top cop said.

Citing a report from PNP-SAF Director Brig. Gen. Edgar Alan O. Okubo, the PNP chief said that the NPA weapons were discovered by members of the SAF’s 10th Special Action Battalion (SAB) at 3:00 p.m. Friday (Sept. 9, 2022).

PNP-SAF bomb technicians took custody of the recovered IED materials for proper disposal while the live ammunition was placed under the safekeeping of the 10th SAB, Gen. Azurin.

The discovery of the NPA armaments came in the wake of a stepped-up counter-insurgency effort by the Police Regional Office 4-B (PRO4B), headed by Brig. Gen. Sydney S. Hernia and the PNP-SAF said the PNP chief.

In Bocaue, Bulacan, officers from the PNP-SAF, the local police force, and the Army’ 70th Infantry Battalion (IB) facilitated the surrender on Thursday of a 67-year-old fisherman-turned NPA member.

Azurin said that the man also turned over a caliber .45 pistol with a magazine containing seven live ammunition and a cal. .22 revolver with four bullets when he surrendered in Bgy. Wakas in Bocaue last Thursday afternoon.

According to PNP Area Police Command-Northern Luzon commander, Maj. Gen. Rhoderick C. Armamento, the farmer is now under the custody of the Bulacan Police.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Alfred P. Dalizon