COMMANDOS from the elite Special Action Force (SAF) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) have seized three New People’s Army (NPA) encampments and a cache of rebel weapons over the past three months of a continuing combat mission while trying to “win back the hearts and minds” of people living in areas with considerable NPA presence, PNP-SAF Director Major General Edgar Alan O. Okubo said on Tuesday.

The latest to be overrun by the PNP-SAF was a known NPA territory in Barangay Hagan in Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro, where they recovered an improvised hand grenade, an improvised anti-personnel mine, a 20-meter-long firing wire, three pieces of commercial time fuzes, five blasting caps with time fuzes attached on them and 30 rounds of caliber 5.56 live ammunition.

Members of the SAF’s 10th Special Action Battalion (SAB), joined by troops from the Police Regional Office (PRO) 4-B under Brigadier Gen. Sydney S. Hernia and the Philippine Army’s 203rd Brigade, recovered NPA armaments.

Okubo said they had also captured three NPA encampments hastily left by the guerrillas after they noticed the presence of approaching SAF troopers.

The official reported to PNP Chief Gen. Rodolfo S. Azurin Jr. that recovered from those NPA-controlled areas were three M-14 rifles, a barrel of an M-60 light machine gun, several M-16 rifle barrels, hand grenades, detonating switches, and various improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

“The capture of these explosive materials will weaken the enemies’ capability to inflict harm against government security forces and the general public,” said Hernia in mentioning the accomplishment of the SAF, the PRO 4-B, and the Army’s 203rd Brigade in Oriental Mindoro.

Okubo has ordered the implementation of the SAF’s own “Revitalized-Pulis sa Barangay” or R-PSB program wherein SAF commandos bring real government service to the “poorest of the poor” in so-called Geographically Isolated and Disadvantageous Areas (GIDAS) in the country.

The SAF’s R-PSB program in these areas, which are known to be being taken advantage of by the NPA in the past, has resulted in a much closer relationship between the police force in general and the SAF in particular as the commandos help them in many ways.

Thru their R-PSB program, the SAF troopers have helped poor residents build schools, roads, potable water systems and other small facilities while assisting them to register with the government and providing basic goods and other materials and educational training to the people with the support of different government agencies, local government units (LGUs), and SAF stakeholders.

However, Okubo said they are also producing more commandos simultaneously.

Last December 23, the official graced the closing ceremonies of the SAF Commando Classes 115 and 116-2021 in Calbayog City, Samar.

He said that 206 students graduated from the course after 17 months of rigorous training. The 206 SAF troopers were joined by 32 allied students from different Police Regional Offices.

Okubo said that the students were deployed in Samar for a combat mission last September 30. He explained that the main mission of the students was to engage the active NPA guerrilla fronts in the region where they have continuously projected their relevance by conducting attacks on government troops.

Last December 16, members of the 22nd Special Action Company of the SAF’s 2nd Special Action Battalion seized the NPA encampments in Barangays Ligaya and Bateria in Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija.

Joined by personnel from the Nueva Ecija 1st Provincial Mobile Force Company (PMFC), the SAF commandos launched a major operation in the area to restrict any plan by the guerrillas to attack government forces.

Okubo said that recovered during the operation were four improvised landmines, nine pieces of corroded 105mm high explosive projectiles without fuze, one 81mm cartridge, two rifle grenades, a corroded Japanese-type grenade, four pieces of electric blasting caps, two improvised blasting machines, one improvised remote control, a firing wire, various components being used to manufacture IEDs, one caliber .38 revolver, 65 rounds of 7.623mm linked-ammunition, one 7.62 bandolier, and an 81mm booster charge.

Also discovered in the areas were 893 Rifampicin tablets, 290 Pyrodoxine tablets, 90 Metformin tablets, 40 Metromedazole tablets, 50 Aluminum Magnesium tablets, 30 Ethambutol Hydrochloride tablets, 44 Salbutamol tablets, 30 Ethambutol 100mg tablets, seven Omeprazole capsules, seven Pyrazinamide tablets, two canisters of Ferous Sulfate, three bottles of 1000ml Dextrose, 40 sterile gauze swab as well as ten packs of instant noodles and a can of sardines.

The discovery of the various medicines and hospital supplies is solid proof that members of the rebel group are treating their own for various medical ailments, including asthma and hypertension, officials said.