-
Col. Ricardo Santiago, commander of the 27th IB, said the explosives were buried in the middle of a dirt road in Barangay dela Paz in Columbio. Santiago said they learned about the explosives through information given by three residents in the area who were former operatives of the New Peoples’ Army (NPA). The explosives were believed buried in the area in 2000 by fleeing NPA rebels when soldiers were running after Moro rebels at the height of the all-out war that then Estrada government launched against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the region. Santiago said the explosives, placed in a sealed cylinder, were buried some six feet underneath a farm to market road linking two villages connecting Columbio, Sultan Kudarat and Koronadal City. The soldiers had to use a back hoe excavator to dig the explosives, he said. (MindaNews)
