120 loose firearms surrendered in Maguindanao town
Mindanao Armed Conflict • 18:00 PM Tue Jun 23, 2020
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By:
Noel Y. Punzalan/PNA
COTABATO CITY – Officials of Datu Paglas, Maguindanao turned over on Monday some 120 assorted loose firearms to the Army during simple ceremonies held at their town hall.
Datu Paglas Mayor Abubakar Paglas led the activity together with Maj. Gen Diosdado Carreon, Army’s 6th Infantry Division commander, and other top local military field commanders accepting the surrendered firearms coming from various barangays of the municipality.
The firearms included 82 units of M-16 assault rifles; 27 M-14 rifles; a .30-caliber machine gun; six M-203 grenade launchers; two M-60 machine guns; an M-79 grenade launcher; and a 12-gauge shotgun.
“We fully support the campaign of the national government against loose firearms. We want our town to be peaceful and progressive as we continue to change from a battle-scarred area to an industrial and business-oriented municipality,” the mayor said in his speech.
Carreon said the firearms would first be documented and handed back for use of government militia forces in the area.
Currently, the local government unit (LGU) of Datu Paglas has a total of 97 Special CAFGU Active Auxiliary (SCAA) members while La Fruitera Incorporated, a banana-producing company ran by the LGU, has 100 SCAAs securing strategic parts of the town.
“The turned over firearms will be subjected to inspection by the JTFC before its issuance back to the Datu Paglas LGU and La Fruitera SCAA now as government property,” Carreon said.
He also thanked the Datu Paglas LGU for their continued support of the disarmament program of the government.