TACURONG CITY — A ranking leader of the Islamic State-linked Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and five of his men have surrendered to the Army in Maguindanao, a military official said.
Col. Robert Dauz, Army’s 1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade (1st MIB) commander, identified on Friday the leader of the BIFF surrenderers as Dido Malawan, 46, deputy brigade commander of the BIFF’s 2nd Division.
Dauz said Malawan and his men were presented by Lt. Colonel Harold Cabunoc, the Army’s 33rd Infantry Battalion (IB) commander, to the MIB in a ceremony on Thursday in Barangay Midpandacan, Gen. Salipada K. Pendatun, Maguindanao.
He said the surrenderers, who vowed to convince their other comrades into yielding, turned over high-powered firearms that include two shoulder-fired rocket-propelled grenades, one M-14 rifle, one .30-caliber bolt action Mosin Nagant sniper rifle, and two homemade .50-caliber sniper rifles.
The rebels, now under Army custody, are undergoing tactical interrogation and preparation for their reintegration to the mainstream society, the military official said.
In an interview with local reporters, Malawan said he and his men decided to turn themselves after being convinced that “there are no more reasons for us to fight the government.”
Malawan, who spoke in vernacular, also praised the military for helping them facilitate “rido” (family feud) settlements, as well as for assisting the establishment of electricity in their village.
Malawan was referring to the assistance of 1st MIB and 33rd IB in implementing the PHP2-million electrification project at Midpandacan village in collaboration with Sultan Kudarat Electric Cooperative.
Cabunoc said aside from electrification in Midpandacan, the Army has also helped refurbished a school that was abandoned for three years due to the perennial fighting among rival clans.
Each of the surrenderers received PHP20,000 financial assistance from Maguindanao Representative Zajid Mangudadatu, who came to witness their surrender to the military.
In May, the Army also facilitated the surrender of 11 BIFF rebels led by Sindatuk Delna. In June, the 33rd IB had facilitated the resolution of a 20-year clan war between the families of Castro Mohammad and Guiamadel Sinomagan in Midpandacan, ushering in the normalization of the community.
The first batch of returnees led by Delna will receive their livelihood benefits from the Maguindanao provincial government on Aug. 15, the military said. (Edwin Fernandez/PNA)
