ZAMBOANGA CITY — The Armed Forces of the Philippines-Western Mindanao Command conducted a demilitarization of 436 firearms of various caliber at Camp Arturo Enrile in the village of Malagutay here.

AFP-WesMinCom acting commander Brig. Gen. Arturo Rojas revealed that the demilitarization of the firearms was facilitated by the 9th Forward Service Support Unit on Wednesday afternoon.

Rojas defined "demilitarization" as the destruction of firearms by cutting them into several pieces and burning the parts to ensure that they will be unusable.

He added that the captured, confiscated, surrendered, and recovered firearms were cut and burned to ensure that no part of the firearms would be reused or recycled.

He also commended the officers and enlisted personnel of 9FSSU led by Lt. Col. Joey Caperig for leading the activity and for a job well done.

The AFP-WesMinCom — through its five Joint Task Forces scattered in major troubled regions in Mindanao — firmly aspires for peace and progress.

"Our military operations against the different threat groups and our campaign against the proliferation of loose firearms, in collaboration with other local government agencies, will continue and be more vigorous," said Rojas.

"This demilitarization of firearms is an attestation of the Philippine Army's commitment to the AFP's mission to maintain peace and order and protect the citizens against violence and extremism," he added.