PARANG, Maguindanao del Norte (PIA) — As part of its intensified police operations against loose firearms from June 2022 to the present, the Police Regional Office of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO BAR) has made a significant breakthrough in their efforts to combat illegal firearms.
During the 11th episode of Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas on Aug. 6 at Camp Brigadier General Salipada K. Pendatun in Parang, Maguindanao del Norte, Police Brig. Gen. Prexy D. Tanggawohn, regional director of PRO BAR, shared with the public the agency’s significant accomplishments, including the recovery of loose firearms for the past two years across the region.
“Through our heightened police operations against loose firearms, we have already recovered a total of 2,932 assorted loose firearms, including light weapons,” Tanggawohn said.
According to PRO BAR, of the aforementioned data, 2,283 were surrendered, 400 were confiscated, 154 were captured, and 95 were deposited.
Tanggawohn pointed out that this significant achievement demonstrates PRO BAR’s commitment to ensuring the security and safety of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region through proactive law enforcement measures.
Recovered illegal firearms pose a serious threat to public safety, and the efforts to remove them from circulation are crucial in maintaining public safety in the region, he said.
“My directive to our provincial directors, city directors, and battalion commanders, to include our chiefs of police, is to sustain our enhanced campaign against loose firearms and armed criminal elements,” he added.
This directive, he emphasized, is particularly crucial considering the forthcoming elections in the Bangsamoro region, with the filing of candidacy to start already in October.
Tanggawohn also clarified that the crime laboratory sends the recovered firearms to the repository for a thorough examination in order to gather crucial evidence.
The independent decommissioning body, on the other hand, takes charge of surrendered firearms from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) combatants.
PRO BAR’s anti-illegal firearms police operations have also pledged to protect the peace and order that the Bangsamoro people are currently enjoying. (CRM/DED – PIA Region 12)
