19 unlicensed guns surrendered in Sulu

NINETEEN loose firearms were turned over to the 1101st Infantry Brigade headquarters in Samak, Talipao, Sulu as a result of the longstanding of coordination between the military and key leaders of Omar town.

In a ceremony hosted by the 1101st Infantry Brigade, former Omar mayor Hadji Hussein Mohammad handed over 11 M-14 and eight M-16 Armalite rifles to Major General William Gonzales, 11th Infantry Division and Joint Task Force (JTF)-Sulu commander.

"This was actually voluntarily surrendered by several individuals who -- through the effort of 2nd Special Forces Battalion's Civilian Active Auxiliaries (CAAs) and our local community leaders -- were able to have a deeper appreciation of a community's role in zero tolerance to armed violence," said Brigadier General Antonio Bautista Jr., 1101st Infantry Brigade commander.

"Gun culture here in Sulu, or in any other part in the world, has brought nothing but violence and grief. Years ago, people here are usually forced to take justice into their own hands. They use guns, they engage in clan wars, kaya marami ang napapasali sa Abu Sayyaf. Ngayon na marami nang security forces dito, hindi na 'yon pwede," Bautista added.

Meanwhile, Gonzales said the Office of the Presidential Adviser for Peace Process and the Provincial Government of Sulu are currently working on the implementing rules and regulations for a Small Arms and Light Weapon (SALW) program.

"The program seeks to reduce, if not totally eradicate, unlicensed and undocumented firearms. If all goes as planned, those who yield their weapons can choose whether to avail of livelihood programs or scholarship grants. We are very optimistic that the security situation in Sulu will drastically improve because of this. We also look forward to seeing peoples' lives in Sulu get better," Gonzales said. (SunStar Zamboanga)

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