By Edwin Fernandez
COTABATO CITY – Relentless military action against violent extremists in Central Mindanao forced 15 members of local terrorist groups to surrender and lay down their arms on Monday.
Lt. Col. Gilbert Boado, commander of the Army’s 6th Mechanized Battalion, identified the group as part of the “Bongos” faction of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), which operates in the marshlands of Datu Salibo, Maguindanao del Sur.
“We provide them the opportunity to reform,” Boado said Tuesday, a day after the Moro extremists were presented to the public at the 1st Brigade Combat Team headquarters in Barangay Pigcalagan, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao del Norte.
The surrenderers turned in high-powered firearms, including two homemade .50-caliber Barrett sniper rifles and corresponding ammunition.
In exchange, the BIFF members received sacks of rice, food packs, and financial aid from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s Ministry of Social Services and Development.
Officials said these resources would help the former combatants reintegrate into their communities and restart their lives.
In a separate statement, Brig. Gen. Jose Vladimir Caraga, commander of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, urged the surrenderers to encourage others still active in the armed struggle to follow suit.
“You made the right decision. Tell your colleagues who are still out there to come forward and embrace peace,” Caraga said. (PNA)
