Camp Navarro, Calarian, Zamboanga City –The municipal mayor of Hadji Muhtamad turned over 23 loose firearms to the military in Basilan,the other day.
Brig. Gen. Domingo Gobway, Commander of Joint Task Force Basilan; Basilan Governor Jim Hataman-Salliman; and Police Col. Carlos Madronio, Provincial Director of Basilan Provincial Police Office received 23 assorted firearms form Mayor Arsina Nanoh.
Mayor Nanoh personally handed over one M16A1 rifle, six M1 Garand rifles, two M1 Carbine, two KG-9, two .38 revolvers and ten .45 Automatic Colt Pistols (ACP) to Basilan Security forces in Barangay Tausan, Pilas Island,
According to Mayor Nanoh, residents from the different barangays of Hadji Muhtamad surrendered the firearms.
Brig. Gen. Gobway said the surrender of firearms was a result of Joint Task Force Basilan’s relentless campaign against loose firearms in connection to the Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) program of the Provincial Government of Basilan. “I recognize the collaborative efforts of the 4th Special Forces Battalion and municipal local government unit of Hadji Muhtamad that facilitated the peaceful surrender of loose firearms.”
The firearms are temporarily placed under the custody of JTF Basilan for documentation prior to their turnover to higher headquarters.
“Our main objective is to sustain peace and ensure the safety of the peace-loving citizens in the communities. We can do this if we focus on eliminating the root causes of violence and criminalities, which includes the proliferation of loose firearms, hence, in coordination with the local government units, we intensify our campaigns to address this security issue,” Lt. Gen. Roy Galido, Commander of Western Mindanao Command said. (VICTOR BALDEMOR RUIZ)
