SULU – Some 187 assorted weapons, many of them without gun permits, had been handed over by their owners to the authorities in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, officials said Wednesday.
The weapons were surrendered by civilians through their village and municipal officials in Talipao, Parang, Omar, Indanan, Maimbung, Jolo and Patikul after Governor Totoh Tan urged illegal gun holders to surrender their weapons, mostly used for protection against lawless elements.
Military photos released to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner show weapons handed over by town officials and civilians in different towns in Sulu province in southern Philippines.
Among the weapons handed over to the military were automatic rifles, grenade launchers and handguns. Several politicians, including the mayors of Talipao, Nebukadnezar Tulawie and Madzfar Loong, of Parang; Hermont Jikiri of Indanan; and several town vice mayors also turned over their firearms during a ceremony at a military base in Jolo.
The Western Mindanao Command said over 600 illegal weapons had been recovered since January in Zamboanga Peninsula, Zamboanga City, Sulu and Central Mindanao. It said all the weapons handed to the military will undergo ballistic examination to determine whether these came from its arsenal.
Governor Tan also urged civilians to turn over their weapons or secure permits from the police so they can legally own the firearms. “This (campaign) is part of the government’s efforts to recover illegal weapons and to make our community a gun-free society and a peaceful place to live in,” he said.
The whole of Southern Philippines is under an extended martial rule after the deadly ISIS siege of Marawi City in the Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao last year. But despite government efforts to recover illegal weapons from civilians and politicians, the military miserably failed to confiscate high-powered weapons from rebel groups that include the Moro National Liberation Front and its rival Moro Islamic Liberation Front in the troubled region. (Mindanao Examiner)
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