Maguindanao villagers surrender combat weapons to Army

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Moro villagers surrendered to an Army unit on Friday, November 6, a dozen firearms and explosives in support of the disarmament campaign of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity.

The cache, comprised of assault rifles, anti-tank rockets and 40-millimeter grenade launchers, was surrendered by residents of Sultan sa Barongis and Pandag towns in Maguindanao del Sur in compliance with the OPAPRU and 6th ID’s joint Small Arms and Light Weapons Management Program, complementing the national government's peace overtures with southern Moro communities.

The SALW Management Program is meant to boost peace and security in areas where there are erstwhile guerrillas of the Moro National Liberation Front and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front that have separate peace agreements with the national government.

Brig. Gen. Edgar Catu, commander of 6th ID, told reporters on Saturday that two mayors in Maguindanao del Sur province, Allandatu Angas Sr. and Mohajeran Balayman of Sultan sa Barongis and Pandag, respectively, and officials of 2nd Mechanized Infantry Battalion, led by its commanding officer, Lt. Col. Raul Escat, cooperated in securing the surrender of the combat weapons via backchannel dialogues with owners.

Both mayors are staunch supporters of 6th ID’s community peacebuilding activities in their hometowns.

The symbolic surrender of the weapons was held in Barangay Tina in Tacurong City, in the presence of Brig. Gen. Omar Orozco, commander of the Army’s 1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade.

Units of the 6th ID in six provinces and four cities in Central Mindanao had, as of Friday, collected a total 3,257 grenades, M14, M16, vintage M1 Garand and Carbine rifles, M60, .30 and .50 caliber machineguns, 60 and 81 millimeter mortars, pistols and rocket and grenade launchers since the SALW Management Program was launched in the region in July 2024.