14 BIFF yield to CIDG in Sultan Kudarat
Mindanao Peace Process • 19:30 PM Mon Jan 17, 2022
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By:
Edwin O. Fernandez
LAMBAYONG, Sultan Kudarat – The police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) announced today the surrender of 14 Moro extremist rebels operating in Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat.
Maj. Gen. Albert Ignatius Ferro, the CIDG national director, presented the surrenderees to local press in Lambayong, Sultan Kudarat Monday morning.
The rebels turned over assorted firearms and explosives.
He said the members of Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) surrenered to CIDG personjnel in of Barangay Tinumigues in Lambayong after months of negotiation.
Ferro sid they turned over six Barrett sniper rifles; two Garand rifles; one .50-caliber Barret sniper rifle; one M16 rifle; one M79 Grenade launcher; one Ultimax rifle; three improvised rocket-propelled grenade launchers, two mug bombs, one improvised 60 mm mortar pad, and ammunition.
Ferro said gunmen belonged to the BIFF-Kagui Karialan faction and working under Commander Gani Saligan.
“We are now experiencing the gradual death of the political ideologies of rebel groups, thanks to the genuine efforts of the government to restore normalcy. The surrender of the BIFF members may just be a small part of Southern Mindanao’s rich history but it is a giant leap in the people’s effort towards lasting peace,” Ferro said.
He further assured that CIDG will continue to work with the local governments, concerned government agencies, and the AFP in convincing the remnants of armed rebel groups in Mindanao to give up on violence as a means to achieve political goals.