Army Recovers Hidden Arms Cache in Albuera, Leyte

Posted on August 13, 2026 at 6:22 am

Albuera, Leyte — A tip from former members of the Communist Terrorist Group helped the Philippine Army find a hidden cache of weapons and explosive ordnance in a remote part of Albuera, Leyte.

The cache was found on Aug. 7 in Sitio Buak, Barangay Tinag-an, by soldiers from the 93rd Infantry Battalion, with help from CAFGU members, reservists and personnel trained in handling explosive ordnance.

Lt. Col. Celeste Frank I. Sayson, 93rd IB commander, said former CTG members gave information about the possible location of the weapons.

The area had been linked to an armed encounter in 2024, when two alleged CTG commanders were reportedly killed.

After the encounter, some weapons believed to have been brought into the area were not accounted for.

Sayson said information from former members eventually gave the Army a lead on where some of the weapons may have been hidden.

Soldiers searched the area for several hours before finding the cache shortly before 2 p.m.

The Army recovered firearms and explosive ordnance from the site.

Some of the fragmentation grenades were already in poor condition, according to Sayson. Because of the condition of the explosives, authorities decided to destroy them at the site instead of moving them elsewhere.

Explosive ordnance disposal personnel from the Army and Philippine National Police assessed the items before the disposal.

The operation also involved about 40 CAFGU members and 10 reservists, along with trained personnel.

Sayson said the search gave reservists an opportunity to apply what they had learned from training on explosive ordnance safety and related procedures.

The Army said the area had reportedly been used by the CTG as a training site and that some of the weapons were intended for newly recruited members of the group.

The recovery was carried out with the participation of the Philippine Army, PNP explosive ordnance personnel and Scene of the Crime Operatives.

For the Army, the information provided by former CTG members was important in locating the cache.

The weapons had reportedly been hidden since the 2024 encounter, but their location remained unknown until former members provided information that led authorities back to the area.

The Army said recovering the weapons prevents them from being used again.

The operation also serves as a reminder that weapons left behind after armed encounters can remain a problem even years later.

Photo courtesy: 93rd IB Battalion Phil Army