Midsayap barangay execs surrender 18 firearms to Army

NORTH COTABATO --- Barangay officials in Midsayap town voluntarily turned over Tuesday to the military 18 firearms in support of the government’s disarmament campaign in troubled southern provinces.

The cache --- a 5.56 Bushmaster, two M14 assault rifles, a .30 caliber Garand, five bolt-action rifles of different calibers, an M79 grenade launcher, a 12 gauge shotgun, five .45 caliber pistols and a .38 revolver --- were surrendered by 10 barangay officials to Brig. Gen. Roberto Capulong.

Capulong is the commander of the Army’s 602nd Infantry Brigade that covers a number of towns in North Cotabato province.

The 18 firearms were turned in by owners during a simple rite in Midsayap, North Cotabato Tuesday in the presence of representatives from the municipal police and the Army’s 34^th Infantry Battalion.

The 602^nd Infantry Brigade of the Army’s 6^th Infantry Division has collected more than a hundred unlicensed firearms from residents of North Cotabato province in the past 12 months.

Possession of unlicensed firearms is punishable by law.

Capulong said he is thankful to the 10 barangay officials for voluntarily turning over their undocumented firearms in support of the government’s effort to restore normalcy in hostile southern provinces.

Major Gen. Juvymax Uy, commander of 6th ID, said their continuing disarmament program in central Mindanao is in line with Malacañang’s peace overture with Moro secessionist groups.   

Central Mindanao is home to members of the Moro National Liberation Front and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front that have separate peace pacts with the national government.