Soldiers discover NPA med supplies in Ilocos Sur town

By Freddie G. Lazaro

SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union -- Soldiers of joint teams of the Community Support Program (CSP) of the army’s 81st Infantry Battalion (IB) and 69th IB have discovered a cache of medical supplies of the New People’s Army (NPA) in the outskirt area of Barangay Barangay Marozo, Narvacan, Ilocos Sur on Monday.
    Lieutenant Colonel Rodrigo A. Mariñas Jr., the commander of the army’s 81st IB, said the soldiers learned about the location of the medical cache through a revelation of a former member of the Underground Mass Organization (UGMO) in the village.
    The cache contains the following medical supplies such as 50 gauze sponges, 37 syringes, 31 vials of local anesthesia, 20 dental needles, 13 surgical gloves, 13 surgical sutures, five surgical blades, five cannulas, four medical dressings, four infusion sets, two towels, one foley catheter, medical and dental equipment, and assorted medicines.
    He confirmed that the medical supplies belonged to the late Pamela Peralta AKA "Maymay", a former medical officer of Komiteng Larangan Gerilya-South Ilocos Sur (KLG-SIS) of the Ilocos Cordillera Regional Committee (ICRC). Ka Maymay died in an encounter in Sta. Lucia, Ilocos Sur on August 08, 2020.
    “These medical suppliers were entrusted by Ka Maymay to a former UGMO member for safekeeping for use by the NPA - Communist Terrorist Groups (CTG) whenever they are in the area,” said Mariñas.
    Such action of the former UGMO member in a village in Narvacan town, according to Mariñas, is a sign that the army’s CSP campaign has been very effective in raising awareness among the residents on the importance of people’s participation in ending the local communist armed conflict.
    "The former UGMO's action of divulging the location of the medical supplies showed his full trust and confidence to the government troops," said Mariñas.
    Brigadier General Audrey Pasia, the commander of the army’s 702nd Infantry Brigade, cited that the giving of information by the residents to the authorities about the NPA’s deception strategies is a manifestation that the NPA's operations are gradually lessening.
     “The people do not believe in the NPAs anymore as they see the real nature of these terrorists now. This is now the best time for the NPAs to surrender to the government. I am appealing to the NPAs in Ilocos not to waste the opportunities and benefits being offered by the government once you surrender to the authorities,” said Brigadier General Pasia. – PIA 1