Bomb making components, bullets seized from NPA’ home in North Cotabato

KIDAPAWAN CITY – Police authorities in Magpet, North Cotabato arrested during law enforcement operation on Wednesday night an alleged New Peoples’ Army (NPA) member and seized from him bullets and bomb making components, including C-4 claymore mine.

Major Judgie Barotas, Magpet town police chief, said police armed with search warrant conducted the law enforcement operations at 10:45 p.m. in the house of Jun Cruz Navales in Purok 2, Barangay Inac, Magpet, Cotabato province.

Barotas said Navales was an active member of NPA operating in the hinterlands of Magpet.

Seized from Navales’ home were bomb making components, 40 pieces ammunition for M-14 rifle and a shirt printed with words “CPP-NPA.”

“He was linked to the roadside bombing of a police patrol car in Magpet last year that left one police officer killed and two others wounded,” Barotas said of the suspect who vehemently denied he owned the bullets and bomb making components.

Navales admitted he was an NPA member and he built a shanty in Barangay Inac where kidnapped policeman PO1 Bristol Catalan was kept. 

PO1 Catalan was kidnapped by NPAs in Pres. Roxas in early 2019 for his alleged crime to the masses.  He was later after two months of captivity to a representative of the Diocese of Kidapawan.

Barotas said before Navales was arrested, he was placed under surveillance based on the information presented by former NPAs who already surrendered to the government.

He is now detained at Magpet PNP custodial facility.