Brig. Gen. Edgar Catu (right), commander of the 601st Infantry Brigade, inspects a rifle surrendered by violent extremists to the Army as Lt. Colonel William Sabado, commander of 1st Mechanized Infantry Battalion, looks on before the formal surrender ceremonies on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Talayan, Maguindanao del Sur. Photo by the Army’s 601st Brigade
COTABATO CITY – Six violent extremists (FVEs) yielded, and 24 high-powered firearms were formally surrendered to the 1st Mechanized Infantry Battalion in Maguindanao del Sur on Wednesday, as authorities intensified the campaign against loose firearms in the wake of the campaign period for the first Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE) slated on September 14.
The six FVEs, who were former members of the Dawlah Islamiyah (DI) and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), turned over six high-powered firearms to battalion commander Lt. Col. William Sabado as a symbol of their abandonment of the armed struggle and return to peaceful civilian life.
In addition, 18 more loose firearms were voluntarily surrendered by residents of the municipalities of Talayan, Guindulungan, and Datu Anggal Midtimbang. This brought to 24 the total number of surrendered firearms.
