CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao – Five Maguindanao towns on Friday turned over 35 additional loose firearms to military authorities.
Brigadier Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, the Army’s 6th Infantry Division chief, received the surrendered firearms in a simple turnover ceremony held at the headquarters of the Army’s 40th Infantry Battalion in Barangay Zapakan, Rajah Buayan town.
Sobejana said the firearms were surrendered by civilians from the municipalities of Rajah Buayan, Sultan sa Barongis, Shariff Aguak, Shariff Saydona Mustapha, and Mamasapano, as part of the military’s firearms reduction program of the government.
The surrendered firearms consisted of six Garand rifles, eight M14 rifles, one M16 rifle, one M79 rifle, one rocket-propelled grenade, one K3 rifle, one 60-mm. mortar projectile, eight shotguns, five Barrett sniper rifles, two KG9 machine pistols, and one Grease gun.
“To prevent terrorism in Maguindanao, we need to work together to address the security challenges in the region,” Sobejana said during the ceremony.
“It is really a challenge for us to fight terrorism as 70 percent is needed to be addressed by the local government units (LGUs) while 30 percent is addressed by the military if the people will resort to becoming armed,” he added.
To date, a total of 1,948 loose firearms had been surrendered to the 6ID by local governments in the provinces of Maguindanao and North Cotabato. (Edwin Fernandez/PNA)
