Kalinaw News: Military’s drive against loose firearms resulted to 27 firearms yielded in Tawi-Tawi

From Kalinaw News (May 27, 2021): Military’s drive against loose firearms resulted to 27 firearms yielded in Tawi-Tawi



Camp Navarro, Zamboanga City – May 27, 2021, Civilians yielded more than twenty loose firearms to security and local government officials in Tawi-Tawi in the first five months of 2021.

According to Lieutenant General Corleto Vinluan, Jr., Commander, Western Mindanao Command, through the combined efforts of the Joint Task Force Tawi-Tawi and the local government units, the campaign against loose firearms yielded to the surrender of a total of 27 high-powered and low-powered firearms by residents of the island province of Tawi-Tawi. Of the 27, one was handed over by a resident of Barangay Panglima Alari, Sitangkai, Tawi-Tawi on May 26, 2021.

Through the series of negotiations and dialogues with local officials and other stakeholders, a 52-year old man turned over his Springfield M1 Garand rifle with seven rounds of live ammunition and one magazine clip to the troops of the 312th Marine Company stationed in Barangay Poblacion of the municipality of Sitangkai, in a statement of Lt. Col. Aladdin Caluza, Commanding Officer of Marine Battalion Landing Team 12. The said firearm is temporarily kept at the 312MC headquarters while waiting for the scheduled turnover to higher headquarters. “We continue to conduct mobile security forum/dialogue to local government units and barangay officials to encourage others to hand over their undocumented firearms,” said Brigader General Arturo Rojas, Commander of Joint Task Force Tawi-Tawi. “This is an initiative of the armed forces to assist local government units in keeping the peace and order in the province,” Briga Gen. Rojas added.

Meanwhile, Lt. Gen. Vinluan, Jr. commended the troops of JTF Tawi-Tawi for this significant accomplishment. “In the long run, we expect to achieve more as we receive more support from the different organizations and the people,” Lt. Gen. Vinluan Jr. stated.

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https://www.kalinawnews.com/militarys-drive-against-loose-firearms-resulted-in-27-firearms-yielded-in-tawi-tawi/