Military collects 46 more unlicensed guns in Cotabato City

November 30, 2024 | 3:50pm

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Officials of the Philippine Marines and the Army’s 6th Infantry Division collected 46 more unlicensed firearms from residents of 10 barangays in Cotabato City on Friday, November 29.

Major Gen. Antonio Nafarrete, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division and acting Western Mindanao Command chief, told reporters on Saturday, November 30, that the firearms were surrendered by owners through the joint intercession of officials of the 5th Marine Battalion, the 1st Marine Brigade, the Cotabato City Police Office and local executives.

The cache, consisting assault rifles and machine pistols, .38 caliber revolvers, .45 caliber pistols, 40 millimeter grenade and B40 rocket launchers, fragmentation grenades and bolt-action Barrett sniper rifles, were turned in by owners in support of the 6th ID’s Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) Management Program complementing the disarmament agenda of the Mindanao peace process.

Nafarrete said he is thankful to Lt. Col. Mark Baky, commanding officer of the 5th Marine Battalion and his immediate superior, Brig. Gen Romulo Quemado II of the 1st Marine Brigade and units under Brig. Gen. Romeo Macapaz, director of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region that has jurisdiction over the Cotabato City, for cooperating in securing the surrender of the firearms via backchannel community dialogues.

The firearms were turned over by owners to Baky, Quemado, city police officials and representatives of 6th ID’s 6th Civil Military Operations Battalion during a symbolic rite on Friday at the People’s Palace, which is the operations center of the Cotabato City local government.

The 5th Marine Battalion had earlier taken custody of more than 30 unlicensed firearms, yielded in recent weeks by residents of Cotabato City, in compliance with 6th ID’s SALW Management Program.

Units of 6th ID in Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao Del Sur, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato and Sarangani provinces had, since 2022, collected 2,146 assault rifles, M60 machineguns, B40 rocket and M79 grenade launchers, 60 and 81 millimeter mortars and handguns, destroyed in the presence of local executives and representatives of media outfits in Central Mindanao.