FORT MAGSAYSAY, Nueva Ecija – Military and police forces discovered a New People’s Army (NPA) hideout and seized an arms cache in Barangay Labi, Bongabon, Nueva Ecija, at around 10 a.m. last Thursday.
The military officials said the abandoned NPA lair was tipped off by civilians in the area, who were fed up of the intimidations and extortions of the terrorist group.
Recovered from the site were a .45-caliber pistol with one magazine and one round of ammunition, a .38-caliber revolver with three rounds of live ammunition, a .22-caliber homemade pistol (automatic) with one magazine and five rounds of live ammunition, a generator, one 81mm mortar ammunition, four M203 grenade launcher ammunition, two rifle grenades, one hand grenade, 150 rounds of caliber 30 live ammunition, 15 rounds of 5.56mm live ammunition, and 12 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, according to military report.
The confiscated items have been turned over to the 1st Provincial Mobile Force Company (1PMFC) of NEPPO for proper handling and disposition, Lieutenant Colonel Reandrew P. Rubio of the 91st Infantry Battalion said.
“Our people can rest assured that we will continue to go after the NPA bandits to ensure that they will not get a chance to cause harm again on them especially during the course of our fight against COVID-19,”he added.
Brigadier General Alfredo V. Rosario, Jr., commander of 7th Infantry “Kaugnay” Division, is optimistic that with the intensified operations being conducted by the military and police, he is expecting more surrender from the NPA ranks. (Liezle Basa Inigo)