Navy team nabs two NPAs in wild chase

From Malaya (Jul 16): Navy team nabs two NPAs in wild chase

NAVY personnel captured two suspected communist New People’s Army rebels following a chase off the waters of Palawan on Saturday, a military spokesman said yesterday.

1Lt. Cheryl Tindog, spokeswoman of the AFP’s Western Command, said the police-supported operation also resulted in the seizure of 14 firearms, some of them   seized by the rebels in a recent raid of a pearl farm in the province.

Tindog said forces from the Naval Special Operations Group, an elite unit of the Navy, chased a boat carrying a number of NPA rebels off San Vicente town around 6 a.m. Saturday. She said the rebels’ whereabouts were provided by civilian informants.

She said the operation was conducted principally to arrest rebel leader Dionisio Almonte alias Inol and Maeng, who has a standing warrant for an unspecified case.

“They were to serve an arrest warrant but they escaped, ensuing a chase...The armed men scampered and escaped from the pursuing Navy commandos,” said Tindog of the rebels.

She said the rebels proceeded to Sitio Naonao in Port Barton village where they were again chased by the troops. Moments later, the troops caught up with the two rebels and arrested them but Almonte and some of his men were able to flee.

Tindog  said the operation and subsequent follow up operations resulted in the recovery of eight shotguns, a cal. 50 machinegun, three 9 mm pistols, a cal. 45 pistol,a cal. 50 improvised sniper rifle, two improvised bombs, combat boots and their boat.

She said six of the seized shotguns were established to be among the cache of firearms seized by the rebels during the raid of the Salvamar Pearl Farm in Taytay town last April.

http://www.malaya.com.ph/index.php/news/nation/36078-navy-team-nabs-two-npas-in-wild-chase