Military recovers M16 rifle in an encounter with NPAs at Catarman

By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
January 24, 2011

TACLOBAN CITY  –  The elements of the 20th Infantry Battalion led by First Lieutenant Jonathan N. Sarausas recovered one M16 rifle in an encounter with more or less 30 members of the communist terrorists at the vicinity of Barangay McKinley, Catarman, Northern Samar.

Major General Mario Chan, commander of the 8th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army based in Catbalogan City, informed that based on the report he received from the fields, the encounter took place at about 11:55 in the morning of January 23, 2011.

Major General Chan informed the Philippine Information Agency through a text message that the troops were on combat operations when the encounter took place.

No casualty on the part of the government troops was reported, Major General Chan said.

Even as he cited the government troops for a work well done, Major General Chan once again called on the members of the underground movement to lay down their arms and join the folds of the law.

While one of the functions of the Philippine Army is to organize, train and equip Army forces for the conduct of prompt and sustained combat operations on land, the current Administration’s policy is for the military to work "towards strategically defeating the NPAs by reducing their number to a level that becomes manageable for the national police and eventually stopping their illegal activities."

Furthermore, the military shall remain committed in "ensuring the territorial integrity of the Philippines as well as addressing the terrorist challenge that the secessionist extremists pose." The military shall develop focused strategies for overcoming all security threats and meet global and domestic security challenges.