3 men nabbed, 7 illegal guns seized by Cordillera cops

 CAMP DANGWA, La Trinidad, Benguet – Three persons were arrested by policemen after having found in their possession alleged unlicensed firearms in separate operations in the region recently.

Four loose firearms were also surrendered and recovered in the region.

Chief Supt. Benjamin Magalong, regional police director identified the three arrested persons as Ortenscio Collado Alconis, Gerard Bucad Sillatoc and William Wayan Banoca.

Alconis, 55,  resident of Lagangilang, Abra was arrested after  Lagangilang town police led by Deputy Chief of Police SPO4 Felix Ejada Atmosfera  responded to a citizen’s call regarding an incident allegedly involving Alconis who, according to witnesses, was pointing his gun to a barangay kagawad for no apparent reason.

They found in his possession a homemade 12-gauge shotgun loaded with one live ammunition night of Nov. 3. 

Likewise, Sillatoc was arrested by elements of Tabuk City police when they questioned him on documents of his Honda motorcycle bearing plate number 125 XRM.

While verifying his documents, P/Insp. Manolito Meana, who led the checkpoint operation, noticed a gun protruding from Sillatoc’s waist and when asked about the gun and its pertinent documents, he could not answer on its ownership nor present documents.

The police discovered that the gun, a 9MM Beretta pistol, had a “PNP Property” mark bearing Serial Number N547563 with an inserted magazine loaded with 14 rounds of ammunition.

In Benguet Province, personnel of the Tuba MPS arrested Banoca, 61, farmer and a resident of  Riverside, Camp 3, in Tuba, for indiscriminately firing a caliber .32 revolver and for allegedly pointing the same gun  to an 8-year old boy. 

The seized firearms, ammunition and empty shells were placed in police custody and will be used as evidence in the prosecution of the arrested persons.

           

Magalong ordered the different police operating units to immediately file the appropriate charges, particularly violation of the provisions of Presidential Decree 1866 as amended by Republic Act 8294 or illegal possession of firearms and ammunition against the arrested persons so that they will suffer the consequences of their actions.

Meanwhile, police also recovered four loose firearms in separate occasions in the different parts of the region because of the intensified campaign of law enforcers against the proliferation of loose firearms in preparation for the conduct of a peaceful and orderly May 2013 elections.

           

One home-made gauge 12 shotgun and a cal. 38 “paltik” without serial number were surrendered to operatives of the Tadian Municipal Police Station in Mt. Province on Nov. 3,  as a result of a dialogue between the police and the community and a series of information drive against loose firearms conducted by the police.

           

The person who surrendered the said firearm to PSI Roy Awisan refused to divulge his identity.

           

The following day, elements of the Paracelis MPS recovered a 12 gauge shot gun without serial number loaded with live ammunition at a vacant lot at Sitio Dampsite, Anonat, Paracelis, Mt. Province.

           

A barangay tanod called the police to pacify two unidentified male persons who were quarreling. The persons already left the area when the police came but the latter recovered the abandoned firearm in the area.

On the other hand, personnel of the Tuba MPS also recovered an improvised short firearm loaded with one live ammunition of an M16 Rifle after the police responded to a fist fight report involving a group of unidentified male persons. The recovered firearm were turned over to PNP Crime Laboratory for ballistics examination.

 “Aside from private armed groups, loose firearms are considered critical factors that may affect the conduct of the 2013 Elections,”        Magalong reiterated earlier orders to all COPs to account for all registered and unregistered gun owners and intensify their OplanBakal/ImplanSita operations as early as now in their respective areas of responsibility.