By Mar T. Supnad
CAMP DANGWA, La Trinidad, Benguet – Eleven persons were arrested including police officers in the region for violating the gun ban imposed by the Commission on Elections to avert or lessen violence coming May elections.
Included in the list of violators was the Abra police chief who was sacked for leading a shooting competition inside the backyard of a local politician in the province right after the imposition of the gun ban.
Chief Supt. Orlando Pestano, Cordillera police director told newsmen he immediately relieved Senior Supt. Charlo Collado who will be subjected to an investigation.
Pestano designated Collado’s deputy, Supt. Lawrenece Coop, as officer-in-charge of the Abra provincial police office based in Camp Juan Villamor, Bangued.
Irked by Collado’s alleged violation of the gun ban, Pestano directed the filing of administrative charges against him.
Newsmen learned it was PNP chief Director General Jesus Verzosa who ordered the relief of Collado and urged Pestano to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident.
Pestano said since the start of the gun ban, even legitimate shooting competitions were banned and policemen in civilian uniforms not allowed to carry guns.
Reports said Senior Supt. Ernesto Gaag, Regional Mobile Force Group, will replace Collado.
In Baguio City, Police Station 8 chief SPO1 Esteban Wacdangan is facing an alarm and scandal case after he, another police officer and his son went target shooting.
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency special investigator II Berto Chumanao was also nabbed with his firearm on Jan. 14 while inside a nightclub here.
Police said Wacda-ngan, together with a companion believed to be a police officer and his son, went to a vacant lot near their residence at Purok 12, Irisan between 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. also on Jan. 14 for target shooting practice.
Using plywood as target board, the police officer allegedly consumed three magazines alarming his neighbors Joni Ikug, Crestita Estrada, Wilfredo Rosario and Johny Guibong.
The four were reportedly 25 to 30 meters away from the police officer.
An administrative case is being leveled against Wacdangan. Baguio police director Senior Supt. Agripino Javier said they will not exempt any violator even if they are PNP personnel.
He added the BCPO will not hesitate to discipline police officers who disobey the law.
Javier, whose men had begun instituting checkpoints in the city especially during nighttime added that the police should set an example in obeying the law.
But Baguio police’s station 7 (Central Business District) head Chief Insp. Paul Mencio said the PDEA investigator’s case will be studied because the anti-narcotics agency has to show the police if Chumanao was on duty when he was nabbed with his firearm inside the night club.
In Camp Dangwa, Pestano said 13 firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunitions were seized from gun ban violators.
In Apayao, one Police Officer 3 and two civilians were arrested in Barangays Mataguisi, Poblacion Kabugao, and Conner, respectively.
He revealed that a .38 caliber revolver, a .22 caliber revolver, and a 9mm pistol were confiscated from the arrested gun ban violators.
On the other hand, three persons were arrested in Tabuk, Kalinga with one .38 caliber revolver, an M-16 rifle; a.45 caliber pistol, and a .38 caliber revolver confiscated in a checkpoint.
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