Civilians surrender illegal weapons in Basilan

BASILAN - The Philippine military collected nearly three dozen illegal weapons from civilians in the Muslim province of Basilan, security officials said Tuesday.

Officials said the weapons were handed over by Lantawan Mayor Nursiya Ismael to the military at the headquarters of the 19th Special Forces Company in Isabela City.

 

“The loose firearms were surrendered by the residents from the different villages of Lantawan town” said Brig. Gen. Domingo Gobway, commander of Joint Task Force Basilan.

 

He said the surrendered weapons included two M16 rifles, one grenade launcher, four Garand rifles, one Carbine rifle, five shotguns, two .45-caliber pistols, and 14 .38-caliber pistols, one Uzi submachine gun, one KG9 submachine gun, one .357-caliber pistol, and two .22-caliber pistols.

 

Col. Frederick Sales, the deputy commander of the 101st Infantry Brigade, attributed the surrender of the weapons to the collaborative efforts of the 4th Special Forces Battalion under Lt. Col. Bernard Samin and the town’s mayor.  “It is also a result of the military’s implementation of the Small Arms and Light Weapons program in the province of Basilan,” he said.

 

Sales was referring to the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons, a globally agreed framework for activities to counter the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons and control the negative consequences of Small Arms and Light Weapons.

 

Through the program, the military in Basilan collected 370 illegal weapons and recorded 4,323 firearms over the past years.

 

Lt. Gen. Roy Galido, chief of the Western Mindanao Command, lauded the military and local government’s efforts in Basilan and called on civilians to surrender their illegal firearms or apply for a gun permit with the police. “We commit to continue our efforts to free the communities from the cradle of violence and sustain peace in Basilan and its nearby provinces,” Galido said.

 

Meanwhile in Zamboanga City, police said a member of the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf surrendered on Tuesday and handed over one Garand rifle. No other details about the terrorist were released by the police except that he was based in Sulu province. (Mindanao Examiner)