Lanao del Norte LGUs turn over 51 loose firearms to Philippine Army
Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. inspects the loose firearms turned in by civilians in Lanao del Norte. Photo by Richel V. Umel, Inquirer Mindanao
ILIGAN CITY — At least 51 firearms previously owned by civilians in Lanao del Norte province were turned over to the Army on Thursday, in keeping with the national government’s intensified effort to take loose weapons off the streets.
Brigadier General Anthon Abrina, commander of the Army’s 2nd Mechnanized Infantry Brigade, said the firearms were collected by various local governments throughout the province which cooperated closely with the Army’s drive against loose firearms.
Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. graced the turnover of the weapons inside the Army camp here on Thursday, coinciding with the national observance of the 127th Independence Day.
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Galvez lauded the recent gains against loose firearms in the province saying this bodes well for local peace and order as there are lesser of these potentially being used for crime.
Under the small and light weapons management program of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity, the national government is encouraging local governments to propose sustainable livelihood projects for the individuals who turned in the loose firearms.
Galvez explained that they discouraged cash incentives in exchange for loose firearms “because it could just be a one time, big time affair instead of pursuing sustainable livelihood based on the capability of each beneficiary.”
“In some areas of the Bangsamo Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), some beneficiaries preferred funds for the education of children of former combatants of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) members in which several students now are in college. Each recipient scholar availed P200,000 for four semesters, Galvez noted.
Some of these students are enrolled at Mindanao State University.
On Thursday, Galvez was briefed on the progress of a housing project for former MILF combatants in Munai town, Lanao del Norte.
