DATU MONTAWAL, Maguindanao del Sur – July 25, 2025 — Four barangays in Datu Montawal town have voluntarily surrendered a total of eight loose firearms and explosive devices to local authorities in a bid to support peace and order initiatives.
The turnover ceremony, held on July 24 at around 2:00 PM at the Datu Montawal Municipal Police Station in Barangay Tungol, was facilitated by Police Captain Nurjhasier Sali, Chief of Police of Datu Montawal, with the support of the Sangguniang Barangay members from Barangays Bulit, Talitay, Bulod, and Malidegao.
Among the surrendered items were:
- Two (2) Garand rifles (SN: 1585750 and one with a tampered SN: 1127583),
- Two (2) homemade RPGs from the Barangay Chairman of Bulit,
- One (1) homemade Ingram (SN: 1538_1) from Barangay Talitay,
- One (1) caliber .38 revolver (SN: 81882) from Barangay Bulod, and
- One (1) hand grenade from Barangay Malidegao.
Eight barangay officials were present during the ceremonial handover of the firearms, demonstrating the strong cooperation between the local government and law enforcement in addressing the issue of unregistered and unlicensed firearms.
Vice Mayor Datu Ohto Montawal emphasized that the initiative is part of the local government’s commitment to reduce the number of loose firearms and prevent them from being used in criminal activities or violence.
Mayor Datu Vicman Montawal lauded the efforts of the barangay officials, commending their voluntary support to peace and development efforts in the municipality.
All surrendered firearms are now in the custody of the Datu Montawal Municipal Police Station and are set to be turned over to the Regional Forensic Unit of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (RFU-BAR) for ballistic examination and proper disposition.
Authorities continue to urge residents in possession of illegal firearms to voluntarily surrender them and take part in promoting peace and security in their communities.