COTABATO — Residents of a seaside town in Sultan Kudarat province voluntarily surrendered 29 more unlicensed rifles, grenade and rocket launchers to Philippine Army officials on Monday, December 23.
Army Major Gen. Antonio Nafarrete, commander of the 6th Infantry Division, told reporters on Wednesday, December 25, that Palimbang Mayor Joenime Kapina, officials of the 37th Infantry Battalion and their immediate superior, Brig. Gen. Michael Santos of the 603rd Infantry Brigade, cooperated in securing the surrender of the firearms in support of the Small Arms and Light Weapons Management Program of the 6th ID and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity.
Nafarrete said he is thankful to the local executives, the Army and police officials in Palimbang for helping disseminate to local residents the objectives of the program, enabling them to peacefully assume custody of the weapons cache from owners, among them members of Moro fronts that now have separate peace agreements with the national government.
Officials of the 37th IB and other units of the 603rd Infantry Brigade, which is under 6th ID, in different towns in Sultan Kudarat, a component province of Region 12, had, in the past three months, collected more than a hundred assault rifles, pistols, 40 millimeter grenade and B40 rocket launchers surrendered by owners in compliance with the SALW Management Program.