MANILA, Philippines ? Over 1,000 high-powered firearms were seized by authorities in Maguindanao since launching searches after the massacre of 57 people in the province last November.
Philippine National Police Director General Jesus Verzosa said on Friday that these firearms belonged mostly from paramilitary forces and suspects in the Nov. 23 massacre of women and journalists.
Most of the searches conducted were done in homes and establishments of members of the influential Ampatuan clan, a number of whom were arrested over their alleged involvement in the massacre as well as a plot for rebellion since the declaration of martial law last December 5.
Since the declaration of martial law, Verzosa said authorities have conducted 10 searches in different locations in the province, leading to the recovery of 193 firearms and light weapons reportedly belonging to private security forces of the Ampatuans.
"The declaration of Martial Law enabled security forces to act swiftly to confiscate these crew-served weapons and high powered firearms incidental to the arrest of suspects charged with rebellion before these weapons can be hidden or relocated," Verzosa said.
The week-long search included the raid of a rice mill warehouse purportedly owned by the Ampatuans in Shariff Aguak where authorities recovered an armored vehicle, police patrol cars and other vehicles along with a stash of rifles and ammunition.
Prior to the declaration of martial law, authorities were able to conduct only two searches: first at a vacant lot in Shariff Aguak owned by a certain Tamano Mamalapat that yielded a huge stockpile of assault rifles and crew-served weapons consisting of anti-tank recoilless rifles, mortar tubes, grenade launchers and machineguns; and another court-approved search at the house of Inspector Saudi Mokamad that yielded a tampered M16 rifle.
On November 26, militiamen from Ampatuan town surrendered 22 high-powered rifles.
On November 28, 698 more high-powered rifles were surrendered by militiamen to authorities.
Police are still looking for over 160 militiamen who were involved in the massacre.
