COTABATO CITY, May 11 -- The Army's 601st Infantry Brigade (601Bde) recovered Sunday assorted high-powered firearms abandoned in Barangay Mao, Datu Abdullah Sangki, Maguindanao del Sur.

Lt. Col. Roden Orbon, speaking for the Army's 6th Infantry Division (6ID), quoted a report from the 601Bde that soldiers responded immediately to civilian reports about the presence of heavily armed individuals in Barangay Mao.

"The timely information provided by civilians to the military helped prevent violence in Datu Abdullah Sangki," he said.

Maj Gen. Donald Gumiran, commander of the 6ID, also lauded the civilians for alerting authorities about the armed men in the village that could have disrupted Monday's national and local polls.

"When the gover...