Villagers surrender 34 more firearms to Army unit

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Residents in three neighboring towns in Maguindanao del Sur surrendered to the 90^th Infantry Battalion 34 more assorted combat weapons, including grenade and rocket launchers, on Wednesday, October 14.

The military-type armaments were turned over by owners to Lt.Col. Loqui Marco, commanding officer of the 90th Infantry Battalion, and his immediate superior, Brig. Gen. Gremel Brual of the 601st Infantry Brigade, during a symbolic rite in Barangay Kabengi in Datu Saudi Ampatuan, one of the 22 towns in Maguindanao del Sur.

The owners of the weapons, consisting of long-range bolt-action sniper rifles, M16 and M1 Garand rifles and grenade and anti-tank rocket launchers, are residents of Maguindanao del Sur's neighboring Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Datu Hoffer and Ampatuan towns. 

They told reporters that they agreed to surrender their firearms and grenade and rocket launchers to the 90th IB in compliance with the Small Arms and Light Weapons Management Program of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity.  

The 6th ID and OPAPRU are jointly implementing the SALW Management Program in Central Mindanao in support of the national government’s peace overture with the region's Moro communities.

The weapons cache was presented on Wednesday to Marco and Brual by local executives, among them Mayor Datu Bassir Utto of Datu Saudi Ampatuan, during the surrender ceremony at the headquarters of the 90th IB in Barangay Kabengi.

The two Army officials said Utto, a first-term mayor in Datu Saudi Ampatuan, helped them work out the surrender of the weapons via backchannel dialogues with owners residing in barangays under his jurisdiction.

Residents of Maguindanao del Sur’s Datu Hoffer and Ampatuan towns also turned over their firearms to Marco and Brual during the event, witnessed by Utto and representatives from the local government units of both municipalities.

Brig. Gen. Ricky Bunayog, acting commander of the 6th ID, had told reporters that he and his subordinate officers in the division are grateful to Utto and the local executives in Datu Hoffer and Ampatuan towns for helping secure the surrender of the weapons, now in the joint custody of the 90th IB and the 601st Infantry Brigade.

Units of the 6th ID in Central Mindanao had collected 3,012 assorted combat weapons, including M14 and M16 rifles, M1 Garand and .30 caliber Carbine rifles, vintage .30 and .50 caliber machine guns, M60 machine guns, 40 millimeter grenades and B40 anti-tank launchers and 60 and 81 millimeter mortars since the division and the OPAPRU launched the SALW Management Program in the region in July 2024.