Residents of Datu Paglas, Maguindanao del Sur surrendered 12 combat rifles on Monday, April 6, in support of a regional disarmament campaign of the 6th Infantry Division and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity.

Major Gen. Jose Vladimir Cagara, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said on Tuesday that the firearms, nine .30 caliber M1 Garand rifles, an M14 rifle, an M1 Carbine rifle and an M2 Carbine rifle, were turned over then by residents of Datu Paglas to officials of the 1st Mechanized Brigade and the 2nd Mechanized Battalion, during a symbolic rite in the municipality, in compliance with the Small Arms and Weapons Management Program of the 6th ID and the OPAPRU.

The SALW Management Program complements the government’s peace process with Moro communities in Region 12 and in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, where there are state-recognized enclaves of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Moro National Liberation Front. The two fronts have separate peace agreements with the national government and have representatives in the 80-seat BARMM parliament.

Cagara said Brig. Omar Orozco, commander of the 1st Mechanized Brigade, his subordinate-officers in the 2nd Mechanized Infantry Battalion and the mayor of Datu Paglas, Datu Ibrahim Paglas IV, cooperated in securing the surrender of the 12 assault rifles via backchannel dialogues.

“It was a community effort, supported by the Moro community leaders Datu Paglas,” Cagara said.

Units of the 6th ID in the provinces of Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato and Sarangani and in Cotabato City, the capital of BARMM, had collected in the past 26 months 2,544 assorted firearms, 40 millimeter grenade and B40 rocket launchers, mortars, M60, .30 and .50 caliber machineguns that owners surrendered to manifest their recognition of the SALW Management Program. (April 7, 2026)