A JOINT police and Army troopers on Thursday last week seized a cache of explosive materials suspected belonging to the New People’s Army (NPA) in Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro, during their conduct of a combat patrol, Police Regional Office 4-B (PRO 4-B) Director Brigadier General Sydney S. Hernia said yesterday.

The official commended members of the 10th Special Action Battalion (SAB) of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force (PNP-SAF), the 403rd Maneuver Company of the PRO 4-B Regional Mobile Force Battalion (RMFB), the Bongabong Municipal Police Station (MPS), the 2nd Provincial Mobile Force Company (PMFC) of the Oriental Mindoro Police Provincial Office (PPO) and the Philippine Army’s (PA) 203rd Brigade for the seizure of the explosives.

It turned out that the policemen and soldiers were conducting joint operations in Barangay Hagan in Bongabong municipality when they recovered one improvised anti-personnel mine, one improvised hand grenade, a 20-meter long firing wire, three commercial time fuzes, five blasting caps with attached time fuzes and 30 round of caliber 5.56 live ammunition.

PNP-SAF bomb technicians under Major Gen. Edgar Alan O. Okubo took custody of the recovered IED (improvised explosive device) materials for proper disposal and disposition, said the official.

“The seizure of these explosive materials will weaken the enemies’ capability to inflict harm against the government security forces and the general public,” Hernia said.

“With Joma Sison’s passing, we renew our call to all our brothers and sisters deceived by the false ideologies of CPP-NPA-NDF. The true progress will never be achieved through armed rebellion but through collective action as law-abiding citizens,” he added.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Alfred P. Dalizon