MILF men train Reds in making explosives

PALUAN, Occidental Mindoro — The New People’s Army (NPA) not only trained its cadres at a camp which the Armed Forces recently overran here, but also manufactured explosives, landmines and M79 rifle grenades there with the help of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) guerrillas.

Col. Ferdinand Mesa, commander of the Army’s 204th Infantry Brigade, and Paluan Mayor Shirley Pangilinan, showed a select group of Manila-based mediamen dozens of hand grenades as well as landmines and tubes of M79 grenade launchers which the NPA rebels churned out themselves.

Also sized at the NPA camp were medicines, two portable generators, medical and surgical tools, books, computers, communist flags and computer diskettes whose contents reportedly showed that NPA spokesman Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal and Melito Glor Command head Tirso Alcantara had stayed here for sometime.

Mesa said the insurgents were able to manufacture improvised explosives and tubes of M79 grenade launchers under the supervision of their MILF counterparts.

"MILF trainers were here to train them (NPA rebels) on how to manufacture explosives and homemade M79 tubes," he said, adding that the captured NPA complex had been here since 1991.

Both the NPA and the MILF have admitted forging a tactical alliance in fighting the government.

Last year, military intelligence reports claimed that the MILF had smuggled into Mindoro homemade explosives and their own version of the M79 grenade launcher.

The NPA camp is situated in Sitios Talahid and Aglimana, both in Barangay Harrison here.