War materials found in Mt Province NPA camps

SAGADA, Mountain Province -- Several items believed to be owned and abandoned by the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) were found by lawmen here and nearby Besao town early this month.
Elements of the 54th Infantry Battalion found the war materials here at a forested area on July 4.
    Former rebels and local residents confirmed the items belonged to members of the NPA who left the area more than a month ago.
    Maj. Jekyll Julian Dulawan, 5th Infantry Division public affairs chief, said the items were discovered in Barangay Tetep-ab Norte here and Barangay Dalican in Bontoc town.
    Dulawan said among the items recovered were various gun parts, improvised bandoliers and other equipment with markings of "Front Operational Command-Alfredo Ceasar Junior Command" which the military said is under the Guerrilla Front Committee-Southern Ilocos Sur.
    Dulawan said there were clothes bearing the insignia of Chadli Molintas Command of the NPA-Ilocos-Cordillera, two books containing lessons on revolutionary warfare, two pieces of rolled wire 25 meters long each, three hammocks, blankets, tarpaulins, radios, power bank, flashlights, extension cord, five bags and medical supplies.
    Local residents said the rebels left their belongings in the area after the majority of its members broke away from the communist movement.

Earlier on July 1, joint troops of the Mountain Province police and Philippine Army also discovered an arms cache of the NPA in nearby Besao town.

Capt. Marnie Abellanida, PROCor information officer, said government forces recovered weapons and communication materials at the NPA facility in Barangay Gueday including an Elisco M16 A1 rifle with defaced serial number, 2.3 kilograms command-detonated explosives, and four one-kilogram command-detonated explosives.

These items were brought to the 69th IB detachment based in Ilocos Sur for proper disposition.

The officer said other seized items include 100 meters of electrical wire, two Motorola radios, an Icom radio with charger, cellular phone, and electrical digital tester.

He said the arms cache was discovered based on information from a community member.

Abellanida added that the government is pursuing its various programs to end the local armed conflict. – With a PNA report by Liza Agoot