Residents surrender 31 firearms to Army, supporting SALW program

Residents from four towns in Cotabato province and two more towns in BARMM surrendered a total of 31 firearms to the Army's 40th Infantry Battalion on Tuesday, March 4, supporting the government's Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) Management Program.

The program, implemented since July 2024 by the 6th Infantry Division and the office of Presidential Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr., aims to manage small arms in Central Mindanao.

Col. Ricky Bunayog of the 602nd Infantry Brigade facilitated the process through backchannel dialogues with municipal officials who handed over the firearms during a ceremony at the battalion headquarters.

The newly surrendered weapons include assault rifles, pistols, and rocket-propelled grenade launchers, bringing the total number of collected firearms to more than 700 since July last year in Maguindanao del Sur, Cotabato, and other provinces.

Maj. Gen. Donald Gumiran praised local officials and residents for their cooperation and encouraged others to follow suit.