Leyte – Noong Enero 5, 2023, nadiskubre ng tropa ng 14th Infantry (Avenger) Battalion ang arms cache na binubuo ng apat high-powered firearms sa paligid ng Barangay Maligaya sa Mahaplag, Leyte.
Ang nasabing arms cache ay binubuo ng isang AK47 assault rifle, isang M16 Armalite rifle, isang M1 Garand rifle, isang 40mm M79 Grenade Launcher at iba’t ibang magazine na kabilang sa Communist Terrorist Group (CTG), Platoon 1, Sub-Regional Command-LEVOX, Eastern Visayas, Komite ng Panrehiyong Partido (P1, SRC-LEVOX, EVRPC).
Ang lokal na mamamayan at dating tagasuporta ng CTG sa lugar ang nag-ulat ng lokasyon ng nasabing CTG arms cache sa tropa ng gobyerno.
Mensahe ni Lieutenant Colonel Ernesto R Dela Rosa, Battalion Commander ng 14th Infantry Battalion, “This achievement displays the support of the civilian populace to the Philippine Army as they no longer want the Communist NPA Terrorists (CNTs) to regain their influence and control in the communities, much more of stockpiling food supplies and armaments. With our implementation of Community Support Programs (CSPs) in the communities, we have driven away the CTGs and eventually facilitated the delivery of basic services by the concerned line government agencies and offices to the communities in the area”.
Dagdag ni LtCol Dela Rosa, ” Likewise, our Operation Plan “PAHIBALO”, an information and security awareness program, equipped the civilians with the right information to make them strong enough to stand against the CTG exploitations and deceptions”.
Mensahe naman ni Colonel Noel A. Vestuir, Commander ng 802nd Infantry (Peerless) Brigade, 8th Infantry (Stormtroopers) Division, Philippine Army, “I reiterate my call to the remaining NPAs who are still hiding in the mountains in our area of responsibility to surface and join their families in the mainstream of our society. You are no longer welcomed by the people in the communities since they are already with us in our efforts to end these 54 years of local communist armed conflict. They are now giving us the information on your whereabouts, the locations of your pre-positioned foods in the area and even your arms caches.”
“You could not hide and evade us forever without food, without the support of the people whom you consider as your mass base, and you could not fight us without your firearms. To the owners of these recovered firearms, I once again call on you to go down, avail the benefits of the balik-loob program and the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) being offered by the government, then continue to suffer from hunger and all the dangers while hiding in the mountains.” pagtatapos ni Col Vestuir.