13 BIFF men surrender in Maguindanao

COTABATO CITY --- Thirteen more members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, five of them experts in fabrication of home-made bombs, pledged allegiance to the government Wednesday.

The 13 BIFF terrorists from Midsayap in  Cotabato province and Maguindanao’s Datu Salibo, Datu Unsay and Mamasapano towns yielded through the intercession of local executives and officials of the Army’s 1^st Brigade Combat Team and the 6^th Infantry Division.

They turned in assorted firearms, grenade launchers and a 60 millimeter mortar before renouncing their membership with BIFF during a simple rite at the headquarters of the 1^st BCT in Barangay Pigcalagan in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao del Norte.

No fewer than 400 members of the outlawed BIFF and its ally, the Dawlah Islamiya have surrendered in batches since 2017 to Army units in towns under 6^th ID’s jurisdiction.

The BIFF and the Dawlah Islamiya, both operating in the fashion of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, are tagged in all deadly bombings in central Mindanao in recent years.

In separate statements Friday, Col. Leodivic Guinid and Major Gen. Roy Galido, commanders of the 1^st BCT and 6^th ID, respectively, said they are grateful to the local government units that helped convince the 13 BIFF members to return to the fold of law.

Galido said they shall be reintroduced to mainstream society with the help of agencies in the Bangsamoro regional government.