In a significant operation, the military successfully seized 19 high-powered firearms from an armed faction in the newly established town of Pahamuddin, located within the Special Geographic Area of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (SGA-BARMM). The operation took place on Monday afternoon, January 20, 2025, following a tip-off from a local resident about the presence of armed individuals in Barangay Lower Panangkalan. Upon arrival at approximately 5 p.m., soldiers from the 34th Infantry Battalion discovered that the armed group had fled, leaving behind their weapons. Lt. Col. Edgardo Batinay, the battalion commander, reported that a thorough search of the area uncovered the firearms scattered across several locations where the group had been spotted the previous night. Batinay highlighted that the armed group’s actions were in direct violation of the nationwide election gun ban enforced by security forces in preparation for the upcoming May 2025 midterm elections.
