FOUR village chiefs in Talitay town, Maguindanao del Sur surrendered unlicensed guns to the police on Monday, July 17. BGen. Allan Nobleza, police regional director of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), said he was elated at how the village officials responded to his call for support and cooperation. 'My calls continue for the remaining private individuals and local officials to lay down their unlicensed firearms for the overall peace and security in the region,' Nobleza said, adding that he vowed to intensify the campaign against loose firearms. He said the village officials are from the conflict-affected areas of the province and are involved in deep-seated animosities with other families, mostly stemming from land conflicts. Cpt. Joel Albao, Talitay municipal police station chief, said the firearms were handed over to Col. Salman Sapal, provincial police director. The village officials included chiefs Solaiman Buisan of Poblacion village, Kuli Mama Datulukes of Kilalan village, Azmy Guiamadel of Bintan village, and Mamatanto Manap of Kuden village, all of Talitay town. They yielded a 50-caliber Barrett sniper rifle, a 7.62-mm sniper rifle, a homemade shotgun, a.38-caliber revolver, and ammunition. Albao said the firearms are now in the custody of Talitay police for documentation before their turnover to the BARMM police's regional forensic unit for ballistic examination and firearms verification.
