THE government’s campaign against the proliferation of loose firearms continue to gain grounds as more unlicensed guns were surrendered in Central Mindanao, the military reported Friday, August 11.
The Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) said the residents of the 15 villages in the town of Talayan, Maguindanao del Sur have voluntarily surrendered their unlicensed firearms to Lieutenant Colonel Tristam Toletino, the acting commander of the 2nd Mechanized Infantry Battalion.
The unlicensed firearms were turned over in a ceremony held at the Talayan municipal covered court on Monday, August 7, spearheaded by Mayor Datu Tungkang Midtimbang of the said town.
The Westmincom said that the surrendered loose firearms were presented to Brigadier General Oriel Pangcog, 601st Infantry Brigade commander.
The activity was witnessed by Major Zukarnain Kunakon, the town’s police chief and the municipal councilor and village officials of Talayan town.
The surrendered unlicensed firearms include two rocket-propelled grenade launchers, five .9-millimeter (MM) Uzi sub-machineguns, one .9-mm ultimax rifle, two shotguns, two 40-mm M-79 grenade launchers, one 40-mm M203 grenade launcher, a caliber .38 pistol, and ammunitions of different calibers.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant General Roy Galido, Westmincom chief, has commended the Joint Task Force Central for the series of accomplishments in the campaign against loose firearms.
“The Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Election is fast approaching, hence, we intensify further our efforts to convince owns to hand over their unlicensed firearms to the authorities. It is better to surrender their firearms than be arrested and penalized,” Galido said.
“We are doubling our efforts to clear the communities from tools of violence to ensure the peaceful conduct of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Election,” he added. (SunStar Zamboanga)