BY LEIF V. DAHL
SANTA TERESITA, Cagayan (March 8)—A storage of weapons here believed to be owned by the New People’s Army (NPA) has been raided by the Philippine Army’s 77th Infantry Battalion (77IB) with the help of two former rebels.
The Cagayan Provincial Information Office (CPIO) said it received the report on Sunday that the 77IB has recovered several high-caliber firearms from the NPA’s stockpile in Sitio Aboli in Barangay Aridawen in Santa Teresita town.
The CPIO said former rebels identified only as Alias Lawin and Alias Leen revealed the whereabouts of the firearms cache.
The 77IB immediately dispatched its troops to the area and recovered an M16 A1 rifle, an M14 rifle, an M653 rifle, two AK47 rifles, a FAL 4.62mm rifle, a.38 caliber revolver and.45 caliber pistol, two magazines for M14 rifle, tow magazines for AK47, an M16 rifle with a magazine, a.45 caliber with magazine, 34 pieces of ammunition for M14 rifle, ammunition for.45 caliber, M16 rifle, an AK47, and subversive documents.
In the report, Lt. Col. Joeboy Kindipan, 77IB commander, thanked the former rebels and the people of Aridawen village for their help and cooperation to recover the firearms.
“This is a big step to paralyze the possible staging of attacks by the NPA during their upcoming anniversary,” Kindipan said.
Maj. Gen Laurence Mina, Army’s 5th Infantry Division commander, said this only proves that President Rodrigo Duterte’s whole-of-nation approach in fighting the insurgency is successful.