Lanao del Sur residents surrender 23 combat weapons to Army

Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!

Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.

Visit Suniway.ph to learn

February 16, 2026 | 5:23pm

COTABATO CITY — Residents of four towns in Lanao del Sur surrendered 23 combat rifles and other firearms on Saturday, February 14, to an Army unit in support of a disarmament program led by the military and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity.

The weapons cache surrendered by residents of Lumba Bayabao, Taraka, Tamparan and Mulondo in Lanao del Sur to the 5th Infantry Battalion included a B40 anti-tank rocket, four M-79 grenade launchers, four long-range bolt-action sniper rifles, a 5.56 M4A1 rifle, a 5.56 R4A3 rifle, a .30 caliber Browning Automatic Rifle, (commonly known as the vintage BAR), which is more known as the vintage BAR, two .30 caliber M1 Carbine rifles, two 9 millimeter KG 9 machine pistols, a 9 millimeter Ingram machine pistol and six 12 gauge shotguns.

Army Lt. Gen. Donald Gumiran, commander of the Western Mindanao Command, told reporters on Monday, February 16, that the combat weapons were surrendered by owners to the 5th IB  in compliance with the Small Arms and Light Weapons Management Program (SALW Management Program). The program has been implemented jointly by WestMinCom and the OPAPRU in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and in Regions 9 and 12, since July 2024.

Gumiran said the combat weapons were turned over by owners to the 5th IB through the intercession of its officials and their superiors in the 103rd Infantry Brigade, the mayors in Lumba Bayabao, Taraka, Tamparan and Mulondo and Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong, Jr., who is presiding chairperson of the multi-sector provincial peace and order council in their province. 

Gumiran said the combat weapons were turned over by their owners to the 5th Infantry Battalion through the coordination of its officials and their superiors in the 103rd Infantry Brigade, the mayors of Lumba Bayabao, Taraka, Tamparan and Mulondo, and Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong Jr., who is presiding chairperson of the province’s multi-sector Peace and Order Council.

“We are very grateful to all who helped us workout the surrender of those firearms by the residents of the four municipalities,” Gumiran said.

Units of WestMinCom in BARMM, as well as in Regions 9 and 12, have collected 3,421 assorted weapons since the launch of the SALW Management Program in July 2024 by military officials and Presidential Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. The cache includes military-type rifles, 40mm and B40 anti-tank launchers, M60 machine guns, .30- and .50-caliber machine guns, 60- and 81-millimeter mortars, machine pistols, .38- and .357-caliber revolvers, and .45-caliber pistols.