THE 4TH Infantry Division seized five firearms, a mortar weapon, and other war materiel during a series of surrenders by members of a communist terrorist group (CTG) and the discovery of arms caches in the Caraga region over the weekend.
Acting on tips from former CTG members, troops from the 75th Infantry Battalion, along with the 3rd Special Forces Battalion under the operational control of the 401st Infantry Brigade, successfully discovered two separate arms caches in the vicinity of Old Marang and Old Decoy, both located in Sitio Panukmoan, Brgy. Diatagon, Lianga, Surigao del Sur, on November 8 and 9.
Brigadier General Francisco F. Lorenzo Jr., commander of the 401st Brigade, reported that the arms caches contained various war materiel and armaments, including a .50 caliber sniper rifle, a 60mm mortar, a .30 caliber Browning machine gun, magazines, and several live ammunition rounds.
“The discovery of these arms caches follows the recent surrenders of Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) terrorists, who provided critical information leading us to these hidden stockpiles of weapons. This is another significant development after the all-out offensives we launched in September, which resulted in the deaths and mass surrenders of CNTs. We believe these weapons were intended for use in CTG atrocities, particularly in vulnerable areas within our area of responsibility (AOR), and we are grateful to have captured them with the assistance of those who surrendered,” Lorenzo added.
It can be recalled that on Nov. 7, three members of the Sub-Regional Sentro De Gravidad (SRSDG) Southland and the Regional Sentro De Gravidad (RSDG) from the North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee (NEMRC) surrendered to the 75th Infantry Battalion.
One of the individuals who surrendered, who served as a political guide, disclosed the location of one of the arms caches.
In a separate event, another former political guide surrendered to the same unit on September 21 and revealed the location of another arms cache.
Meanwhile, on Nov. 10, three CNTs yielded to the 29th Infantry Battalion in Brgy. Del Pilar, Cabadbaran City, Agusan del Norte, surrendering three low-powered firearms, including two Caliber .45 pistols and one Caliber 9mm M11 Submachine Gun. On the same day, two additional CNTs returned to the folds of the law, facilitated by the 30th Infantry Battalion in Barangay Mahanub, Gigaquit, Surigao del Norte.
Brig. Gen. Arsenio DC Sadural, commander of the 901st Infantry Brigade, said these developments show the disarray among members of the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG).
He noted that they lack direction and are suffering from hunger, exhaustion, and fear of dying in confrontations.
“The CTG must now recognize the futility of their cause. They need to peacefully surrender because we will not cease our efforts in this fight. Their terrorist agendas have no place in the peace-loving communities within our area of responsibility. It would be better for them to surrender and take advantage of the reintegration programs offered by the government,” BGen. Sadural said.
In his statement, Major General Jose Maria R. Cuerpo II, commander of the 4ID, emphasized that these recent accomplishments significantly weakened the capabilities of the CTG to carry out violent acts.
He noted that these successes support the 4ID’s ongoing campaign to dismantle the CTG, aligning to end the local communist armed conflict within its area of responsibility.
“Their ability to conduct attacks and destabilize our government, as well as disrupt the peace of our communities, has been largely diminished. This allows us to advance our campaign to ultimately defeat this criminal group and work towards declaring every province a state of Stable Internal Peace and Security (SIPS). This declaration will pave the way for peace, development projects, and new opportunities,” Cuerpo said.
Photos courtesy of 4ID
