DAVAO CITY (PNA) – Soldiers unearthed a New People’s Army (NPA) arms cache in Lupon, Davao Oriental after a tip from two former leaders, the Army 10th Infantry Division (ID) said Friday, Aug 19.
In an interview, Capt. Mark Anthony Tito, 10th ID spokesperson, said the firearms found in Barangay San Isidro, Lupon Wednesday, Aug. 17, belonged to the NPA's weakened NPA Guerilla Front (GF) 18.
The weapons, recovered by combined forces of the 10th ID and the Philippine National Police, included an M203 rifle, an M16 rifle, an M79 grenade launcher, and an M14 rifle.
“Ka Baytol, a former executive committee member of the Sub-Regional Committee 2, and ‘Ka Radz,’ the former team leader Abe of GF 18, led the troops to the site,” Tito said.
Major Gen. Nolasco Mempin, 10th ID commander, remained optimistic that the NPA GFs 18 and 57 in the 10th ID area of responsibility would soon be dismantled, paving the way for the Davao Region to be declared insurgency-free.
"GF 18 is in Davao Oriental, and it's just a matter of time for we know how supportive the governor of Davao Oriental is in our campaign against the NPAs,” he said in a statement.