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Sunday, March 07, 2004
Cebu airport official nabbed in Davao for gun smuggle attempt (3:06 p.m.)
By Rex C. Otero and Peng Aliņo
DAVAO -- An official of the Air Transportation Office in Cebu was nabbed 10 a.m. Sunday in a checkpoint in Calinan for trying to smuggle 13 guns for sale in Sta. Cruz, Davao Del Sur.
Supt. Aaron Aquino, chief of the Regional Mobile Group 11, identified those arrested as Manuel Matig-a, 60, officer-in-charge (OIC) of the ATO
power plant of the Cebu International Airport and his wife Miguela, of Lapu-Lapu St., Danao City.
The couple was aboard a passenger L300 V-Hire (van-for-hire), which came from Cagayan de Oro City, when they were apprehended in a random checkpoint conducted by RMG 11 led by Sr. Insp. Antonio Alverio.
Confiscated from Matig-a were a .45 caliber and 12 .38 caliber revolvers wrapped in plastic bags. The couple could not present any papers for the arms.
Aquino said a .45 caliber gun can fetch between P7,000 to P9,000, while a .38 caliber revolver costs P3,500 each.
The RMG head, who also conducted the tactical interrogation, said five of the guns were to be delivered to a certain Mercado, who is said to be the son a deceased gunmaker in Sta. Cruz, Davao Del Sur.
Aquino said they have long been monitoring the operations of the suspects but this is the third time they have smuggled guns into the region.
"We already have the names of the persons whom the first two deliveries were to be made but we will not yet divulge their names because we are going to conduct another operation," Aquino said.
In the RMG 11 headquarters, Manuel allegedly rolled over the floor while his wife was crying and asking forgiveness while they were surrounded by media cameramen and photographers.
When asked why he resorted to the illegal business considering his position, Manuel said, "gamay ra ang sweldo kulang ipalit og bugas ug gatas."
The couple is in the custody of RMG 11 while charges of violation of Republic Act 8294 or illegal possession of firearms and violation of the Commission on
Elections (Comelec) gun ban will be filed Sunday. With Sunnex |
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