Folks in Basilan's port city surrender rifles, machinegun

COTABATO CITY - Barangay leaders in Isabela City, Basilan on Thursday surrendered to the military 19 combat rifles and a light machinegun in support of the government’s disarmament campaign complementing the Mindanao peace process.

Lt. Gen. Roy Galido, commander of the Philippine Army, and Bangsamoro regional police director Brig. Gen. Allan Nobleza separately announced on Friday the turnover of the firearms to the 101^st Infantry Brigade via the 19^th Special Forces Company during a symbolic rite in Barangay Tabuk in Isabela City.

Galido told reporters here via Viber message that the unlicensed firearms, one of which is an FN 5.56 light machinegun, were yielded voluntarily by owners through the joint intercession by Isabela City Mayor Sitti Djalia Turabin-Hataman, Basilan Gov. Hadjiman Salliman, Brig. Gen. Alvin Luzon, who is commander of the Army’s 101^st Infantry Brigade, and the police director in the province, Col. Carlos Madronio.

“To these officials and the owners of the firearms, we are thankful,” Galido said.

Reports reaching the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region here stated that the firearms were officially handed over to the 101^st Infantry Brigade by the city administrator of Isabela City, Peter Eisma, on their mayor’s behalf.

Luzon and Madronio, who are together overseeing the Western Mindanao Command and PRO-BAR’s joint province-wide pacification programs in Basilan, are both expecting the surrender soon of more firearms by residents in the 11 towns in the Island province and in its two component-cities, Isabela and Lamitan.

“We have also been receiving reports from Army and police units in our province stating that the few remaining members of the Abu Sayyaf in our area are set to surrender soon for them to get reintroduced to mainstream society,” Salliman, now a third-termer governor, said.