COTABATO CITY (Sunday, September 14, 2025) — Residents of two towns in Cotabato province had voluntarily turned over 21 more military-type firearms to Army officials on Friday, September 12, in support of a regional disarmament program complementing Malacañang’s Mindanao peace process.

Major Gen. Donald Gumiran, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, told reporters on Saturday, September 13, that the combat weapons were surrendered by villagers in Carmen and Pikit municipalities to officials of the 40th Infantry Battalion, led by their commanding officer, Lt. Col. Erwin Jay Dumaghan, and Brig. Gen. Ricky Bunayog of the 602nd Infantry Brigade, on Friday in Barangay Ladtingan in Pikit, Cotabato.

The cache is comprised of seven M16 rifles, an M14 rifle, two M203 rifles fitted with grenade launches, five long-range .50 caliber bolt-action sniper rifles, and six 40 millimeter grenade launchers, is now in the joint custody of the 40th IB and the 602nd Infantry Brigade.

The 40th IB, the 602nd Infantry Brigade and local executives in different towns in Cotabato are cooperating in implementing in the province the Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) Management Program of the 6th ID and the Office of the Presidential Assistant on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity.

Officials of the 40th IB, the 602nd Infantry Brigade, the local executives and traditional community leaders in Pikit and Carmen cooperated in convincing the owners of the firearms and grenade launchers to comply with the SALW Management Program.

Units of 6th ID had collected more than a thousand assault rifles, bolt-action sniper rifles, M60, .30 and .50 caliber machineguns, B40 anti-tank rocket and 40 millimeter grenade launchers and 60 and 81 millimeter mortars from villagers in different towns and cities in Central Mindanao since the division and the OPAPRU launched in July 2024 the SALW Management Program.

Photo shows the combat weapons voluntarily yielded by villagers in two towns in Cotabato, now in the joint custody of the 40th IB and the 602nd Infantry Brigade.