4 BIFF bomb couriers surrender in North Cotabato
Mindanao Peace Process • 16:30 PM Tue Nov 23, 2021
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By:
John M. Unson
The four BIFF members are now in the custody of the Army's 34th Infantry Battalion. [From 6th ID]
COTABATO CITY --- Four confessed bomb couriers in the outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters returned to the fold of law Monday.
Sanny Boy Satol Mamalumpong, Ato Menis Sandato, Satol Gamblay Butuan and Darang Katog pledged allegiance to the government in the presence of Col. Jovencio Gonzales of the Army’s 602nd Infantry Brigade, officials of the 34th Infantry Battalion and representatives from the municipal government of Midsayap, North Cotabato.
The surrender rite, held in Midsayap, North Cotabato, was capped off with their turnover of three bolt-action sniper rifles and an M14 assault rifle.
Major Gen. Juvymax Uy, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said Tuesday Mamalumpong, Sandato, Butuan and Katog belonged to a BIFF faction led by Kagui Karialan.
Karialan is wanted for more than 30 criminal cases in different courts, including multiple murders for his alleged role in deadly bombings in central Mindanao in recent years.
The four followers of Karialan who surrendered to the 34th IB readily confessed to their role in many of the bombings that he pulled off, either as look outs or bomb couriers.
Uy said the four men shall be reintroduced to mainstream society together by the local government of Midsayap and Lt. Col. Edgardo Vilchez, Jr., who helped convince them to surrender via backdoor dialogues.
More than 300 BIFF members have surrendered in batches to units of 6th ID since 2017.
More than a hundred turned themselves in voluntarily in groups in the past 13 months.