Gun, bullets found after Apayao NPA- army clash

By Villamor Visaya Jr.

KABUGAO, Apayao -- Army soldiers found a gun and assorted ammunition allegedly owned by New People’s Army (NPA) rebels after a morning skirmish here Tuesday, Dec. 6, the military said Wednesday.
    Army Captain Rigor Pamittan, 5th Infantry Division public affairs chief and spokesperson, told this writer in an interview Wednesday, Dec. 6, seized were M-16 Armalite rifle, bullets, a magazine, notebook with anti-government information, and a poncho now under safekeeping of the 102nd Infantry Battalion after the clash in Barangay Maragat.
    Army soldiers were conducting a combat operation after receiving a tip from villagers about the communist rebels operating in the Apayao-Abra area.
    A brief firefight ensued when the state troops encountered the alleged rebels, which ended with the communist guerrillas allegedly withdrawing.
    Pamittan said Apayao Gov. Elias Bulut ordered allotting financial rewards to lawmen and villagers who could arrest or kill a “terrorist group leader or member.”
    The order did not elaborate on the legality of the killing and how to curb abuses due to the order.