Kalinaw News: Loose Firearms Turned Over to 103rd Infantry Brigade in Lanao del Sur

Posted to Kalinaw News (Sep 23, 2020): Loose Firearms Turned Over to 103rd Infantry Brigade in Lanao del Sur

Lanao del Sur- Seven high powered firearms were turned over to the 103rd Infantry (Haribon) Brigade by the Municipal Task Force in Ending Local Armed Conflict (MTF-ELAC) of Marugong, Lanao del Sur on Tuesday, September 22, 2020.

The turned over ceremony was held with presence of the barangay captains and other local officials.

Colonel Jose Maria R Cuerpo II, Commander, 103rd Infantry (Haribon) Brigade, personally witnessed the handover of the firearms to First Lieutenant Roxan Barbosa, the commander of the Bravo Company of the 55th Infantry Battalion.

Firearms consisted of one improvised .50 cal sniper rifle, one M4 5.56mm rifle, one m1 carbine rifle, and four .30 cal M1 Garand rifles.

“The turnover was made possible through the continuous collaboration of the unit and the local government of Marugong who are both sustaining the national government’s effort against the proliferation of firearms and other peace initiatives”, said Lt. Col. Franco Raphael Alano,55IB commander.

In his message, Col Cuerpo commended the people of Marugong for their commitment to stop the cycle of senseless violence in the province.

“We will remain relentless in our campaign in bringing about peace and development to the province of Lanao del Sur”, said Col. Cuerpo.

“One of our efforts is against the proliferation of loose firearms within the province which has been the primary instrument of violence by unlawful groups and individuals,”

He added that “Attaining peace is a collaborative effort and the security sector cannot resolve issues which lead to conflict alone, we need all the help we can muster from all sectors of society”.

Meanwhile, Horoun T Maruhom, the Vice Mayor of Marugong, vowed to support the national government’s effort against loose firearms and challenged his constituents to do away with the culture of violence in resolving conflict and accept a culture of tolerance and understanding.

He later expressed his gratitude to the 103rd Infantry Brigade, more particularly to the Bravo Company of the 55th Infantry Battalion, for not only securing their area but also for assisting them in addressing existing societal issues.

[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace in the Philippines This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. Contact us: kalinawnews@cmoregiment.com]

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