Army recovers alleged NPA arms cache in Oriental Mindoro

CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro — Government troops recovered two firearms and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) allegedly hidden by suspected members of the New People’s Army (NPA) during a military operation in Bulalacao town in Oriental Mindoro, the Philippine Army said Friday (July 10).

The 203rd Infantry “Bantay Kapayapaan” Brigade said soldiers from the 1st Infantry Battalion conducted combat operations on July 9 in Sitio Balditan, Barangay Benli in Bulalacao after receiving information from a Community Visitation Team (CVT) about the alleged presence of hidden weapons and explosives in the area.

The operation resulted in the recovery of an M16 rifle, a homemade shotgun, an 8-kilogram improvised explosive device (IED) described by the military as an anti-tank explosive, and a three-fourths-kilogram anti-personnel IED.

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READ: 2 alleged NPA rebels surrender in Occidental Mindoro

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The recovered items were brought to the headquarters of the 1st Infantry Battalion in Barangay Cambunang, Bulalacao. The unit coordinated with the Philippine Army’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Team for the proper handling and disposal of the explosives.

This took place after the 1st Infantry Battalion reportedly clashed with armed men in Barangay Lourdes, Magsaysay town also in Occidental Mindoro, the Philippine Army said on Friday.

The military did not immediately provide details about the duration of the firefight, the number of combatants involved, or whether there were casualties or recoveries following the encounter.

Brig. Gen. Melencio Ragudo, commander of the 203rd Infantry Brigade, credited the swift response of the troops and thanked residents, particularly members of the Mangyan indigenous communities, for providing information to authorities. /das

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