Military recover fire-arms kept at legal front members' homes

WHEN local insurgents walked out of Bohol , what happened to the firearms they used to have? By the way things are coming out, most of the fire-arms did not cross the borders, Lieutenant Allexson Domingo of the 15th Infantry Battalion said. In a chance interview this week, Lt. Domingo said since last year, government forces assigned for internal security operations in Bohol have recovered at least 10 high and low-powered fire-arms. Of the 10, several of them with ammunitions were left for safe-keeping by the retreating rebels.

The fire arms were taken from safe-houses and houses of legal fronts leaders otherwise running the insurgents' propaganda war, local party-list leaders and organizers and rebels who refused to flee Bohol , military sources said. Just last Sunday, the military accordingly retrieved two M16 armalite rifles from a known member of an active party-list identified with the left. Lt. Domingo however said government forces are keeping the identity of the person or persons concerned.

A few months back, government forces also recovered a Springfield rifle from a known member of a Hugpong sa Mag-uumang Bol-anon (HUMABOL) affiliate group in San Roque Sagbayan. This came after another Thompson sub-machinegun and a garand were recovered from a member of the Buenavista Farmer's Association (BUFA), another organization associated with Humabol in Lubang Buenavista.

Newspapers last year reported that another armalite rifle along with an assortment of subversive documents were recovered in a known safehouse in Sevilla. Another garand was recovered from a cave in Alicia. Reported caretakers in both cases were seen in rallies and city mobilizations, military intelligence said. In almost all cases, former rebels working with the military, or under government protection facilitated the recovery of the items, Domingo said.

Retreating rebels toting rifles would be too conspicuous so they leave them here, at the safekeeping by legal front chairmen or designated caretakers where it becomes accessible for use, Lt. Domingo added. These rifles, when held in the barangays become potent tools to sow fear and impose forced taxation for the revolution, which was lately found to be enriching top local leaders, he explained.

With these developments, Lt. Domingo, speaking for Col. Arthur Tabaquero of the 302nd Brigade reiterated his call to peacefully surrender these loose fire-arms for them to avail of the balik-baril program. This also means that the caretakers can ask for government protection and assistance. This as the Malacañang has released P1B funds for anti-insurgency operations recently. (rachiu/PIA)

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