12 BIFF militants yield to Army in Maguindanao

From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 14, 2020): 12 BIFF militants yield to Army in Maguindanao (By Edwin Fernandez)

RIGHT DECISION. Maj. Gen. Juvymax Uy (left), commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, checks one of the rifles that Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters surrenderers turned in to the Army in Maguindanao on Friday (Nov. 13, 2020) as Army 33rd Infantry Battalion commander, Lt. Col. Elmer Boongaling looks on. Uy said the rebels made the right decision to peacefully surrender and live normal lives. (Photo courtesy of 6ID)

COTABATO CITY – At least 12 members of the local terrorist group, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), have surrendered to the Joint Task Force Central (JTFC) and the Army’s 6th Infantry Division (ID) in Maguindanao, the Army said Saturday.

The former Moro rebels under the Karialan faction surrendered to the 33rd Infantry Battalion (IB) on Friday afternoon and handed over their weapons to Maj. Gen. Juvymax Uy, 6ID commander and concurrent chief of the JTFC in Central Mindanao.

The surrenderers turned in two M14 rifles, four Barret sniper rifles, an Uzi submachine gun, one M16 rifle, and two Garand rifles.

“These former BIFF combatants are residents of Mamasapano and Rajah Buayan, both in Maguindanao,” Uy told reporters here.

Lt. Col. Elmer Boongaling, 33rd Infantry Battalion commander, said a combination of military operations and community engagements in the area led to the surrender of the former rebels.

The surrender rites were held at the headquarters of the 33IB in Barangay Zapakan, Rajah Buayan, Maguindanao.

“We realized the futility of our cause and we do not know what we are fighting for anymore,” Abdul, one of the former BIFF combatants, said in the vernacular.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1121787