COTABATO CITY — Armed civilians involved in long-standing clan wars before turned over some 80 high-powered loose firearms during a ceremony held Tuesday morning in Buldon, Maguindanao.
The firearms were received by Army’s 6th Infantry Division (6ID) Commander Maj. Gen. Arnel Dela Vega and Maguindanao Police Provincial Office Director Sr. Supt. Agustin Tello, as part of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Balik Baril Program (BBP).
Also present during the event was Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Governor Mujiv Hataman, who pledged to assist in the implementation of the BBP program in the region.
The BBP runs parallel to the Philippine National Police’s own campaign against loose firearms.
Mayor Abolais Manalao said the firearms were from families involved in “rido” or clan feuds in the town of Buldon.
“Possession of guns is root cause of clan wars here,” the mayor said adding that since August last year, his town has been declared as “rido-free” due to the local government’s intervention.
The gun surrenderers are expected to initially receive each a head of cow from the ARMM and Buldon town government for every unit of firearm yielded.
The ARMM’s Regional Reconciliation and Unification Commission (RRUC) has recorded a total of 588 cases of family feuds in the region from 2012 to date. The province of Maguindanao has so far recorded 273 rido cases, 54 of which remain unsettled. (Noel Punzalan/PNA)
