CABADBARAN CITY, Agusan del Norte — Three firearms, including two caliber .45 pistols and one caliber .38 revolver, were voluntarily surrendered to police in separate operations in Agusan del Norte on September 21, 2026, as authorities intensified their campaign against loose and improperly licensed firearms across the province.
The voluntary turn-ins were recorded in Las Nieves, Remedios T. Romualdez (RTR), and Cabadbaran City during the resumption of the Revitalized Katok Operation and other peace and security operations being carried out by the Agusan del Norte Police Provincial Office (ADNPPO).
In Las Nieves, personnel of the Las Nieves Municipal Police Station received the voluntary surrender of one caliber .45 ARMSCOR Shooters pistol, together with one magazine and three live ammunition.
The firearm was turned over during the police station’s continuing monitoring and actual visits to firearm holders whose License to Own and Possess Firearms (LTOPF) or firearm registrations have expired.
Police also recorded a voluntary surrender in RTR, where the municipal police station received one caliber .45 Sam Falcon pistol along with one magazine.
Meanwhile, in Cabadbaran City, personnel of the Cabadbaran Component City Police Station facilitated the voluntary surrender of one caliber .38 revolver and 50 pieces of live ammunition from a 34-year-old married male school staff member identified only as alias “Arn,” a resident of Purok 5, Barangay 12.
The three incidents brought to three the number of firearms voluntarily turned over to police during the September 21 operations, with a total of 53 live rounds of ammunition surrendered in the Las Nieves and Cabadbaran incidents.
Provincial police director Police Colonel Ruel M. Cagape said the continuing campaign forms part of the province’s intensified effort to reduce the presence of unauthorized, unregistered or improperly licensed firearms in communities.
According to the ADNPPO, police personnel in Las Nieves are conducting monitoring and actual visits to firearm holders, particularly those with expired LTOPF licenses or firearm registrations, to encourage compliance with firearms regulations.
Cagape urged firearm owners to take the necessary steps to renew their licenses and registrations or voluntarily surrender firearms that are no longer properly licensed or registered to the nearest police station.
Under Republic Act No. 10591, or the Comprehensive Law on Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act, a “loose firearm” includes an unregistered, obliterated or altered firearm; a lost or stolen firearm; an illegal firearm; a registered firearm possessed by someone other than its licensed owner; or a firearm whose license has been revoked in accordance with existing laws, rules and regulations.
The police said voluntary surrender is intended to provide firearm holders an avenue to comply with the law while helping authorities prevent unauthorized weapons from remaining in communities.
“The voluntary turnover of the firearm manifests the individual’s willingness to cooperate and commitment to abiding by the law. This accountable step reduces the presence of unauthorized weapons in our midst, significantly contributing to a secure and peaceful society,” Cagape said.
The ADNPPO reiterated its appeal to firearm holders throughout Agusan del Norte to renew their licenses and firearm registrations on time and to safely turn over unregistered or unrenewed firearms to the nearest police station.
Police said the campaign will continue as part of broader peace and security efforts aimed at strengthening firearms regulation and promoting public safety across the province.