DAVAO CITY (PNA) – Troops found an arms cache of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Gov. Generoso, Davao Oriental.
Major Gen. Nolasco Mempin, 10th Infantry Division chief, said on Thursday, Sept. 29, that the Army 701st Infantry Brigade (701IB) recovered five firearms in the area on Wednesday, Sept. 28, based on the revelation of Rodel Mandel, an ex-member of the defunct NPA Guerilla Front (GF) 18.
Mandel surrendered on Monday, Sept. 26, to the Army 48th Infantry Battalion and revealed the location of the firearms in Barangay Magdug.
"This extraordinary accomplishment manifests the untiring effort and dedication of the officers and enlisted personnel not only of the 701st IB but of the whole 10th ID," Mempin said.
Recovered were an M16 rifle, an M203 grenade launcher, three Carbine rifles, and other war matériel.
Mempin lauded the 701st IB under Brig. Gen. Oliver Maquiling for the successful operation.
On Tuesday, Sept. 20, the Peace and Order Council of Davao Oriental declared the province insurgency-free following the dismantling of NPA GF 18.
Two other NPA units operating in the province – the GF South and GF North – were earlier declared dismantled.