Firearm in San Joaquin clash linked to Maasin PNP attack
ILOILO City – One of the high- powered firearms recovered by government troops after the clash with suspected New People’s Army rebels in Barangay Torocadan, San Joaquin, Iloilo was linked to the Maasin Police Station raid in 2017.
Brigadier General Michael Samson, commander of the 301st Infantry Brigade, disclosed this during the presentation of recovered items on Monday, March 4, with Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) regional director Brigadier General Jack Wanky at Camp Martin Delgado in Iloilo City.
Samson said forensic personnel of the Scene of the Crime Operatives discovered that one of the M16 rifles used by the NPA in the recent clash was among the weapons carted away when the rebels attacked Maasin Police Station on June 18, 2017.
In the said incident, at least 15 firearms, ammunition, handheld radios, and police uniforms were taken, and a police patrol car was even used as a getaway vehicle.
Although i t was not confirmed if any of the four slain suspected rebels were part of the 2017 attack, Samson maintained that the firearm’s connection with the raid was established.
The list of items recovered f r om t he San J oaquin encounter i ncluded one 7.62x39mm rifle, two Elisco M16 rifles, one Colt M16 rifle, one M16A1 rifle, four 40mm ammunition for grenade launchers, three bandoliers, 13 empty magazines, 283 pieces of 5.56mm cartridges, and 17 pieces of 7.62x39mm cartridges.
Samson urged rebels anew to surrender to the government as their actions were “futile” and the government did not want more casualties.
On Monday afternoon, troops from the 61st Infantry Battalion encountered an unidentified number of suspected rebels believed to be members of Southern Komiteng Rehiyon Panay in the hinterlands of Barangay Igsoligue, Miag-ao, Iloilo./