COTABATO CITY – Military officials see a peaceful Lanao del Sur with more civilians who possessed guns for self-defense have started turning over their rifles to local government officials who, in turn, hand them over to the Army.
Major Gen. Roseller Murillo, commander of Joint Task Force Ranao, said he expected the surrender of more unlicensed guns to the military as the campaign against loose firearms has been intensified to meet the deadline set for by the government under martial law imposed in Mindanao.
Over the weekend, Murillo received 163 firearms from local officials in the towns of Saguiaran, Madalum, Bayang, Lumbatan, Calanogas, Ganassi, Binidayan, Balindong, Tugaya, Pagayawan, and Madamba.
Of the 163 guns, 156 were high powered firearms while seven were considered home-made and low powered.
Murillo said the disarmament would help speed up the rehabilitation of Marawi City and its environs following last year’s siege.
“The existence of loose firearms in the hands of civilians prevent development and create more violence,” Murillo said in a radio interview here Tuesday. “I urged the locals to let the police and the military handle peace and security issues.”
Under Martial Law Order No. 1, town mayors were directed to collect loose guns in their localities and hand them over to the government. Failure to do so may put local government executives’ performance under question.
By military estimates, more than 50,000 loose guns are in the hands of civilians whose love of gun makes them easily resort to violence. Families locked in clan wars in the province often settle disputes through the barrel of guns. (Edwin Fernandez/PNA)
