ZAMBOANGA CITY — Former members of the Abu Sayyaf Group are now helping maintain peace and security in the province of Sulu in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan said yesterday that police and military authorities have tapped and utilized the expertise of the former rebels to help them in their operation.

"They are no longer rebels but a part of a peaceful community already. Hence it is also their shared responsibility to keep their community peaceful," Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan said yesterday.

Former Sulu governor and now member of the BARMM parliament, Benjamin Loong, praised Tan for helping to convince the ex-ASG fighters to return to the folds of the law and live a peaceful life with their family members in the province again.

Loong, who also serves as floor leader of the BARMM parliament, also cited former president Rodrigo Duterte for establishing the 11th Division of the Philippine Army in Sulu and armed them with a directive to turn Sulu into a "peaceful province" in the BARMM.

Loong, who hails from the formerly ASG-infested Parang town, has found during his recent visit to the area that only members of the security forces are carrying firearms.

He said most people in the town are now spending a night at the beach with their families and return home after midnight. They now feel secure from harassment from lawless elements, he said.