LOPEZ, Quezon- An arm cache belonging to the New People’s Army (NPA) was unearthed by government forces in Barangay Santa Rosa on Friday, Aug. 28, in this town.

According to the report of the 201st Infantry Brigade, the combined forces of the 85th Infantry Battalion, the 417th Quezon Police Mobile Force Company, and the Lopez Municipal Police Station discovered the arms cache following information given by a former rebel.

The location of the arms cache was revealed by a rebel returnee who disclosed that following an armed encounter between the government forces and the NPA rebels in Barangay Cogorin, this town, on April 23, 2025. The rebel withdrew toward Barangay Santa Rosa and buried assorted firearms and other war materiel belonging to the detached squad of the dismantled Platun Reymark.

Recovered from the cache were an improvised explosive device (IED), an improvised hand grenade, a .45-caliber pistol, a .38-caliber pistol, a magazine, and live ammunition, two copies of “Piling Mga Sulating Militar ni Mao Zedong,” and medical supplies.

Army Maj. General Arsenio Sadural, commander of the 2nd Infantry Division, said the recovery reflects the continuing effort to consolidate government gains against the remaining communist armed groups in Southern Tagalog.

“The dismantling of an armed group does not end with the neutralization of its manpower. We must also account for the weapons, explosives, logistics, and other resources it leaves behind to ensure they can no longer be retrieved and used to rebuild its capabilities,” Sadural said.

He also encouraged remaining NPA members to consider the experience of former rebels who are now helping communities move away from armed conflict.

“Those who have chosen to return to the folds of the law are showing that there is a meaningful role for them in building peace. We continue to call on those who remain in the armed movement to come home and take the same opportunity to begin again,” Sadural added.

The 2nd Division continues to work closely with its partners in the security sector, local government units, former rebels, and communities to locate remaining war materiel and prevent the remnants of dismantled NPA units from rebuilding their capabilities in Southern Tagalog.