Photo courtesy of PNP
A tip from an arrested communist rebel led security forces to a concealed weapons cache containing an AK-47 rifle and four anti-personnel improvised explosive devices in Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur, police said.
The cache was uncovered in Barangay Tagbobonga on Aug. 21 during a counterinsurgency operation by the 1st Special Action Battalion of the PNP Special Action Force, with other police and military units.
Police said the information came from alias “Jennibita” or “Lg/Shana,” a person on the Periodic Status Report (PSR) list of communist terrorist group members who was arrested on June 15 through a warrant.
Acting on the information, security forces located an AK-47 7.62mm rifle, three magazines and 102 rounds of ammunition hidden at the site.
Four Clamor-type anti-personnel IEDs were also found in the cache, along with medical supplies and surgical equipment.
The firearm, ammunition and medical equipment were placed under the temporary custody of the 14th Special Action Company for documentation. The explosives were set to be turned over to the Surigao del Sur Provincial Explosive Ordnance and Canine Unit for examination and proper disposition.
“Recovering these weapons is a concrete step toward denying armed groups the means to threaten our communities. We will pursue every legitimate lead that can help prevent violence and protect lives,” PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said.
Nartatez said information from the ground remained crucial in locating concealed weapons and disrupting armed groups’ activities, as police continued operations aimed at preventing recovered firearms and explosives from being used against communities.