Two alleged officers of the New People's Army (NPA) were arrested by the government forces in Oriental Mindoro, an Army officer reported on Saturday.

Lt Col. Hector Estolas, public affairs chief of the 2nd Infantry Division, identified the two rebels as alias Ka Aryo, the second Deputy Secretary of Kilusang Larangang Gerilya Mark Anthony Velasco (KLG MAV) from the Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee's Sub-Regional Military Area 4D, and alias Louise, the supply officer of KLG MAV's Platun Serna and a former liaison of Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee's Regional Staff.

Estolas said based on the initial report the soldiers from the 4th Infantry Battalion were conducting combat operations at Sitio Haguines in Barangay Wasig when they captured two rebels.

"Currently, the two personalities are undergoing custodial debriefing. This development comes only a day after one soldier was held and later killed while returning home in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro," he said.

During the arrest the government troops also seized one Intratec Luger UZI sub-machine gun, one M1 Carbine rifle, one magazine loaded with 24 rounds of ammunition, 22 rounds of cal. 45 live ammunition, an improvised hand grenade, two blasting caps, eight mobile phones, a tablet, two power banks, six cell phone chargers, pocket wifi, two memory cards, seven USB flash drives, four SIM cards, medical supplies, subversive documents, and other personal belongings. Robina Asido/DMS