Five high-powered firearms and four landmines were recovered by the soldiers of the 67th Infantry Battalion in Sitio Bitangon, Barangay Aliwagwag, Cateel, Davao Oriental around 3 a.m. of Jan. 20, 2019.
1Lt. Jei-em Tagufa, the civil- military operations officer of 67th IB, said composite troops of Alpha Company and intel operatives of the 67th IB encountered members of Guerrilla Front 25 in Sitio Bitangon.
The troops under 1Lt. Al Bryan Villanueva encountered more or less 20 New People’s Army rebels. The firefight lasted about 40 minutes before the rebels escaped.
The troops were able to recover at the encounter site three AK47 assault rifles, two M16 rifles, four landmines with wire, two cellphones, medical paraphernalia, back packs, and subversive documents.
Lt. Col. Jacob Thaddeus Obligado, commander of the 67th Infantry Battalion, commended the troops for a job well done. “We will continue with our focused military operations to ensure the safety of the populace,” he said.
Col. Manuel Sequitin, the 701st Infantry Brigade commander, encouraged the communities to continue supporting the troops and helping in the campaign against the NPA.
Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Jose Faustino Jr., commander of the 10th ID, also lauded troops’ accomplishments.
“With the people’s support and the troops’ commitment to duty, the region and the whole of 10th ID’s area of responsibility experienced continuous and relatively peaceful environment,” Faustino said.
