DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 20, 2014) – Army officials said troops have recovered dozens of landmines and various materials used in the manufacture of improvised explosives in the southern Philippines.
Officials linked the explosives to the communist rebel group New People’s Army in Loreto town in Agusan del Sur province. The cache of landmines was discovered by civilians in the village of Mansanitas, according to Capt. Alberto Caber, a spokesman for the Eastern Mindanao Command.
Gen. Ricardo Rainier Cruz III, the Eastern Mindanao Command chief, praised the bravery of the civilians who informed the military about the explosives.
“We thank our people for their cooperation. Our soldiers are always ready to respond anywhere and whenever needed. If the NPA is sincere about peace, they must stop manufacturing landmines as these kill people and destroy properties,” Cruz said.
He said the discovery came a day after two NPA rebels – Robert Daging and Abet Guinson – surrendered to the 36th Infantry Battalion in Carmen town in the province of Surigao del Sur.
The duo also handed over two automatic rifles. The NPA has been fighting for decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)
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