COTABATO CITY – Villagers of Datu Paglas, Maguindanao del Sur surrendered to army authorities a minimum of 18 free firearms on Thursday with the assistance of the native authorities.
Datu Paglas Mayor Abubakar Paglas of Datu and Liutenant Colonel Jayson Domingo, commanding officer of the Military’s 1st Mechanized Infantry Battalion, turned over the firearms to Brigadier Normal Andre Santos, commander of the first Mechanized Infantry Brigade, throughout give up rites on the municipal fitness center on Thursday.
“The Balik-Baril program continues to make vital strides in enhancing neighborhood security and decreasing unlawful firearms within the Municipality of Datu Paglas,” Santos mentioned.
Domingo mentioned among the many surrendered firearms have been a sub-machine gun and a caliber .50 Berret sniper rifle.
Paglas mentioned the firearms have been collected by the village officers from their constituents in assist of the federal government’s disarmament program and marketing campaign in opposition to unlicensed firearms.
Santos mentioned the give up of a weapon marks a milestone within the struggle in opposition to gun-related crimes and violence.
“We’re happy to see such a optimistic response to the Balik-Baril program in our neighborhood,” Santos mentioned.
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“The willingness of people to give up their firearms demonstrates a shared dedication to making a safer and safer setting for everybody,” he added.
Thus far, over 80 free firearms have been surrendered to the army or recovered throughout Military operations in Maguindanao del Sur since January this 12 months.