Gov't. forces arrest man for gun, explosives possession in North Cotabato

From the Philippine News Agency (Jan 18): Gov't. forces arrest man for gun, explosives possession in North Cotabato

Authorities here arrested Tuesday night a man for possession of unlicensed firearms and explosives in an anti-crime operation by joint operatives of police and military forces.

Lieutenant Colonel Edgar delos Reyes, commander of the 34th Infantry Battalion, elements of Task Force Midsayap, a composite Army and police unit, raided a house in Barangay Poblacion 3 and arrested Talib Arciga at about 10 a.m.

Delos Reyes said the lawmen were armed with search warrants issued by a local court against Arciga for gun possession and possibly illegal drugs.

Police and Army personnel seized from him a carbine rifle with ammunition and a live hand grenade. No illegal drugs were found.

But Arciga's son, 21-year-old Norman, managed to evade arrest by jumping off the window and fled undercover of darkness.

The younger Arciga was facing murder charges.

The suspect is now undergoing interrogation at Midsayap police office.

Task Force Midsayap was formed following the Christmas Day bombing in front of a Catholic Church here that left 17 persons injured, including a police officer.

Supt. Bernard Tayong, Midsayap town police chief, said the grenade attack was not directed at the Church and mass goers but against the police as retaliatory attack by personalities who suffered the brunt of police intensified anti-drug operation.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=956008