Maguindanao del Sur โ Government troops seized nine assault riflesย in two separate raids across the province on Thursday, February 13.
Brig. Gen. Donald Gumiran, commander of the 6th Infantry Division, confirmed on Friday, February 14, that a unit from the 33rd Infantry Battalion recovered four M16 rifles and an M14 rifle from an abandoned vehicle in Datu Abdullah Sangki town.
A group linked to an ambush reportedly left the vehicle earlier that day.
Ambush Leads to Seizure of Rifles
According to Army intelligence operatives and the Datu Saudi Ampatuan Municipal Police Station, the firearms belonged to a group responsible for an ambush in Barangay Kaya-Kaya, where Barangay Chairman Edris Sangki, Councilor Penny Balawagan, and Barangay Secretary Abdul Latip were wounded.
Col. Edgar Catu of the 601st Infantry Brigade reported that the ambushers abandoned their getaway vehicleโstacked with the riflesโafter realizing that soldiers had blocked all possible escape routes following alerts from local leaders.
More Weapons Discovered in Hideout
Later that day, troops from the 90th Infantry Battalion made another breakthrough, discovering three more firearmsโan M653 rifle and two M14 riflesโinside a house in Barangay Kakal, Ampatuan.
Villagers said the occupants fled upon spotting soldiers approaching from two directions, leaving the weapons behind.
Ongoing Security Operations
The recovered firearms are now in the joint custody of the 601st Infantry Brigade and the 6th Infantry Division, based in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte.
Meanwhile, security forces continue the operations to track down the perpetrators and prevent further violence in the region.
Crisis of Loose Firearms and Gun-Related Crimes
The proliferation of loose firearms in the Philippines has become a pressing concern, fueling an alarming number of gun-related crimes nationwide.
The country faces a stark reality: civilians outgun the state by a staggering ratio of 7:1. In 2010, an estimated 2.8 million firearms were in civilian hands, with nearly 70% considered looseโeither unregistered, illegally acquired, or with expired licenses. By 2017, that number had surged to 3.7 million, including 2 million loose firearms, of which 1.2 million were licensed but left unrenewed.
A lawmaker, in a 2018 Senate hearing, estimated that 99.95% of gun-related crimes involved loose firearms. The Philippine National Police (PNP) recorded 10,936 gun-related incidents from 2022 to early 2024, averaging 13 violent incidents daily. These range from armed robberies to political assassinations and land disputes.
The situation is particularly dire in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), where the Conflict Alert monitoring system reported 16,288 gun-related violence cases from 2021 to 2023, leading to 11,672 deaths.
With the government struggling to regulate firearm ownership and curb illicit circulation, the growing number of loose firearms remains a serious national security challengeโone that demands immediate and decisive action. (with reports from Antonio Manaytay)
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