MADALUM, Lanao del Sur–A total of 128 assorted loose fire arms from 10 Lanao del Sur towns were handed over during 76th Araw ng Kagitingan” (Day of Valor) in this municipality on Monday.
The loose firearms were turned over by the mayors of Madalum, Madamba, Ganasi, Lumbatan, Binadayan, Calanogas, Balindog, Pagayawan, Tugaya and Bayang towns to Maj. Gen. Roseller Murillo, commander of the Army’s First Infantry Division.
Murrilo lauded the local town executives for their cooperation in the military’s campaign against loose firearms in the province, and for their “support of President Rodrigo’s Duterte’s call for a meaningful and lasting peace.”
Murillo said the surrender of loose firearms “will save numerous lives” and would do much to contribute to “the lasting peace” in the province and in Mindanao.
Sultan Usman Sarangani Sr., former mayor of this town, underscored the importance of yielding loose guns in order to minimize “rido” (clan war) incidents, which he noted has bedeviled Lanao del Sur for decades.
Sultan Sarangani also called on residents in the neighboring municipalities who still possess more loose guns to “turn them over to the authorities despite the fact that for a Maranao, owning a gun is a status symbol.”
Maranaos also use firearms to “defend themselves” but the former mayor said the lesser the number of unlicensed guns in the province, the more peace was achievable.
The loose firearms that were handed over to the military consisted of high-powered guns such as bushmaster and M16 rifles.
Also on the same day, town officials of Saguiaran also surrendered at least 32 loose firearms to Lt. Col. Gremel B. Brual, commanding officer of the Army’s 51st Infantry Brigade. (Irma Boza/PNA)
