Google map of Sapa-Sapa municipality, Tawi-Tawi province.
ZAMBOANGA CITY – Policemen on Sunday seized 10 high-powered firearms and other weapons in a Tawi-Tawi.
Aside from the high-powered firearms, authorities also seized a handgun, a baseball bat and other assorted deadly weapons consisting bolos and knives, Maj. Winston Botengan, police chief of Sapa-Sapa municipality, said in a statement Monday.
Botengan said the weapons were seized when policemen responded to the reported presence of some 150 unidentified armed men staying at the residence of a local candidate around 1:50 p.m. Sunday in Barangay Top-Top Banaran, Sapa-Sapa.
“The responding policemen were about to inquire when a group of individuals suddenly scattered and fled in different directions,” Botengan said, without identifying the candidate.
He said the pieces of evidence recovered are placed under the custody of Sapa-Sapa Municipal Police Station for proper disposition.
Sapa-Sapa, which consists of 23 barangays, is a third-class municipality with a population of 35,580 as of the 2020 census.
Meanwhile, Brig. Gen. Arthur Cabalona, Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) director, urged the residents of Tawi-Tawi to remain vigilant and to immediately report any suspicious persons or activities to the nearest police station. (PNA)
