Around 1 pm on July 12, Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Joint Task Force Storm sent its S70i Black Hawk helicopters to Samar to pick up the cadavers of three dead alleged New People's Army (NPA) members.

Two men and a woman were killed during the government troops' pursuit operation of the culprits of the anti-personnel mine explosion at a community trail in Mapanas, Northern Samar that injured seven Army soldiers.

The military used drones to track down the terrorists leading them to a number of NPA hideouts until an encounter transpired in an uninhabited area of San Jorge, Samar last July 8. Another encounter transpired at a forested area near Barangay Libertad, San Jorge, Samar on July 13, around noontime.

The troops of the 801st Infantry Brigade captured from the scene of the encounter three M16 rifles, one AK47, and a shotgun. There were mines, election campaign materials, and notes seized beside the dead NPAs.

JTF Storm spokesperson Captain Ryan Layug said they believed the troops encountered alleged NPAs belonging to Platoon Yakal of SRC Browser which the troops had been tracking from Northern Samar moving southwards to Samar province.

Due to difficulties in the terrain and poor weather, the cadavers were in the stage of decomposition when airlifted and brought to the police for examination by the Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO). The cadavers were then buried as advised by the San Jorge Municipal Health Office.

Maj. Gen. Edgardo de Leon, the commander of Joint Task Force Storm, earlier announced that pursuit operations were launched sending additional troops and air assets to Northern Samar to track down the NPA bombers. JTF Storm and 8th ID Public Affairs Office