MANILA, Aug 5, 2025 (balita.news) – Philippine troops recovered a cache of weapons and ammunition in the southern province of Cotabato, military officials said Tuesday, in an operation aided by former communist rebels and aimed at reinforcing the province’s status as free of New People’s Army (NPA) presence.
Soldiers from the 72nd Infantry Battalion uncovered the arms cache on August 1, 2025 in Sitio Ranso, Barangay Kulaman Valley in Arakan, Cotabato, near the Bukidnon border. The find included an M4 carbine, an M16A1 rifle, 24 magazines, around 500 rounds of 5.56mm ammunition, and an improvised explosive device (IED) with a bomb switch.
The weapons, believed to have been buried by remnants of the now-dismantled Guerilla Front 57 under the Southern Mindanao Regional Committee (SMRC), were located through information provided by two Indigenous former NPA rebels.
The couple, part of the so-called “Agusan 8” arrested in June in Agusan del Sur, surrendered to authorities following ongoing reintegration efforts led by the 72nd Infantry Battalion and the Cotabato provincial government. Officials said these efforts include legal assistance and livelihood support for former combatants.
Lt. Col. Pablo Masa-ad, commander of the 72nd IB, praised the ex-rebels’ cooperation, saying it marked a major setback for the insurgents’ remaining logistics and showed the effectiveness of the military’s localized peace initiatives.
In a symbolic gesture, troops pooled P10,000 to help the couple celebrate the wife’s birthday on August 2, 2025 reflecting what Masa-ad described as a commitment to healing and reconciliation. The woman is still recovering from an injury sustained before her surrender.
“This recovery further solidifies Cotabato’s NPA-free status and proves the success of community-based peacebuilding,” Masa-ad said in a statement. “We call on all stakeholders to sustain support for our Whole-of-Nation Approach to ending local communist armed conflict.”
The NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), has been waging a rebellion since 1969. The military has declared several provinces, including Cotabato, as free from active NPA fronts, although scattered remnants and arms caches remain.