Bombs seized in South Cotabato

COTABATO CITY — Soldiers recovered 16 large home-made explosives in the village of Maan, T’boli, South Cotabato on Wednesday the Philippine Army said.

Major General Donald M. Gumiran, commander of the Sixth Infantry Division, said ethnic T’boli farmers had tipped off troops about the location of the devices, which can be used as landmines or detonated remotely with mobile phones.

The explosives were seized by the 105th Infantry Battalion in Sitio Bagong Silang, reportedly left behind by fleeing New People’s Army (NPA) rebels amid military operations.

Brigadier General Michael A. Santos of the 603rd Infantry Brigade said similar devices had been recovered in the area in recent weeks with the help of residents.

The Sixth Infantry Division said 369 NPA rebels in South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat have surrendered through backchannel talks in the past two years. — John Felix M. Unson