Combat weapons seized from feuding groups in Maguindanao del Sur

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April 5, 2026 | 7:07pm

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Soldiers and policemen seized in a joint operation on Saturday, April 4, military-type firearms and ammunition from two Moro groups who clashed a few hours before in Barangay Masigay in Datu Piang in Maguindanao del Sur.

The encounter between the two Moro groups, one led by Mando Santukan and the other by Kob Silongan, caused panic among villagers in Sitio Tambua in Barangay Masigay and forced many of them to relocate to safe areas.

The two groups, one identified with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the other comprised of former members of the now defunct Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters who had pledged allegiance to the government in recent months, are squabbling for control of territories in Datu Piang and in nearby towns and got locked in a deep-seated animosity triggered by their having supported rival candidates for local elective posts during the May 12, 2025 local elections.

Major Gen. Jose Vladimir Cagara, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, told reporters on Sunday that his two subordinates, Brig. Edgar Catu of the 601^st Infantry Brigade and Lt. Col. Erwin Felongco of the 38th Infantry Battalion and Col. Michael John Mangahis, director of the Maguindanao del Sur Provincial Police Office, cooperated in overseeing the operation that led to the confiscation of the firearms of followers of Santukan and Silongan.

The confiscated cache, comprised an M60 machinegun, an M4A1 rifle, an M16 rifle, an M14 rifle, two M653 rifles and more than a thousand rounds of ammunition of various calibers, is now in the custody of the 38th IB, whose commanding officer, Felongco, is involved in multi-sector peacebuilding programs in Datu Piang and in other towns around, where there state-recognized domains of the MILF that have a peace agreement with the national government.

Cagara, who is also overseeing the anti-terror Joint Task Force Central, said they are grateful to local executives and traditional Moro community leaders for supporting the joint Army-police operation in Barangay Masigay that resulted in the seizure of the combat weapons that followers of Santukan and Silongan had used in their clashes early Saturday.