Government Troops Recover Rebel Arms Cache in Camarines Sur

Legazpi City (2 August) -- Army troopers unearthed over the weekend a buried cache of firearms reportedly hidden by suspected New People's Army (NPA) rebels in a remote village in Lupi, a railroad town in Camarines Sur, a ranking Army official said on Monday.

Major General Ruperto Pabustan, Commander of the 9th Infantry Division, said that one of the rebels who were captured by the 31st Infantry Battalion, led the soldiers to the location of the buried firearms at around 10:30 AM Saturday in Tible village, Lupi town.

The captive NPA member pinpointed the exact location of the movement's hidden arms cache during the pursuit operations conducted following an encounter between the rebel group and army troops on Friday in the village, Pabustan said.

The captive NPA was one of the three rebels captured by Army soldiers in an encounter in the same village on Friday.

The engagement led to the death of an NPA leader and the recovery of four high powered firearms, he said.

Soldiers led by 1st Lt. Rey Canlobo unearthed five Cal 5.56mm, M16 A1 Assault Rifles, two Cal.45 Thompson Submachineguns and a Cal 5.56mm Ultimax Squad Light Machinegun.

"We are in the right track in our ISO campaign as we have won the support of the people. As you can see, a tipster among the residents in Tible village led to the successful encounter last Friday and now, one of the captured rebels himself led our troops to their large arms cache, appreciating the humane treatment that he received from my soldiers," said Pabustan.

Pabustan is confident that the communist movement will "die naturally" due to the cooperation extended by the people to the military.

He said that the primary efforts of the Philippine Army is the implementation of the various peace and development programs of the government which is more effective in addressing the root causes of the insurgency problem than combat operations.

As of this date, the Army in Bicol has confiscated 46 high-powered firearms and 27 low-powered firearms from the communist rebels, lowering the number of the NPAs firearms to at least 302 high-powered firearms and 31 low-powered firearms. (DPAO 9ID PA/PIA)