4 village heads yield guns to Maguindanao Norte police

From the Philippine News Agency (Jul 17, 2023): 4 village heads yield guns to Maguindanao Norte police (By Edwin Fernandez) July 17, 2023, 8:31 pm

WAR MATERIEL NO MORE. Capt. Joel Albao (5th from left), Talitay municipal police station chief, and four village officials show the unlicensed guns turned over to police on Monday (July 17, 2023). The surrender of the firearms, according to the village officials, was in support of the government’s peace efforts. (Photo courtesy of PRO-BARMM)

COTABATO CITY – Four village chiefs in Talitay town, Maguindanao del Sur surrendered unlicensed guns to the police on Monday.

Brig. Gen. Allan Nobleza, police regional director of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), said he was elated at how the village officials responded to his call for support and cooperation.

“My calls continue for the remaining private individuals and local officials to lay down their unlicensed firearms for the overall peace and security in the region,” Nobleza said, even as he vowed to intensify the campaign against loose firearms.

He said the village officials are from the conflict-affected areas of the province and are involved in deep-seated animosities with other families, mostly stemming from land conflicts.

Capt. Joel Albao, Talitay municipal police station chief, said the firearms were handed over to Col. Salman Sapal, the provincial police director.

The village officials included chiefs Solaiman Buisan of Barangay Poblacion, Kuli Mama Datulukes of Barangay Kilalan, Azmy Guiamadel of Barangay Bintan, and Mamatanto Manap of Barangay Kuden, all of Talitay town.

They yielded a .50-caliber Barret sniper rifle, a 7.62-mm sniper rifle, a homemade shotgun, a .38-caliber revolver, and ammunition.

Albao said the firearms are now in the custody of Talitay police for documentation before their turnover to the BARMM police’s regional forensic unit for ballistic examination and firearms verification.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1205819