Soldiers seize NPA armaments in Sultan Kudarat

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Soldiers seized components for improvised explosive devices, a grenade, and an M16 rifle after a brief clash with New People’s Army guerrillas in Barangay Kitudak, Lebak, Sultan Kudarat, on Friday, September 26.

Brig. Gen. Michael Santos, commander of the Army’s 603rd Infantry Brigade, told reporters on Saturday, September 27, that the encounter in Sitio Kinawan in Barangay Kitudak erupted when the NPAs opened fire on a team from the 57th Infantry Battalion responding to reports by villagers about their presence in the area, collecting money and rice at gunpoint.

Traditional community leaders in Kitudak and municipal officials confirmed to reporters that the NPAs immediately fled, carrying three wounded companions, as soldiers approached from two directions.

Local leaders said all three wounded NPAs, identified as Marco, Ariel and Roman, were implicated in arson attacks between 2016 and 2022, targeting heavy equipment of construction firms in highland towns in South Cotabato after owners refused to pay “protection money.”

Lt. Col. Aeron Gumabao, commanding officer of the 57th IB, said on Saturday that residents of highland barangays in Sultan Kudarat’s adjoining Lebak, Kalamansig, and Palimbang towns are helping soldiers reach the few remaining NPAs in the area to return to the fold of law and reintegrate into local communities.

Citing reports from local executives, Major Gen. Donald Gumiran, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, and Santos separately said the group that clashed with the 57th IB left behind an M16 assault rifle, a grenade and IED components as they fled in haste, carrying their wounded companions.