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Thursday, October 14, 2004
Abra mayors surrender 17 more illegal firearms
By Ernie N. Olson Jr.
CAMP DANGWA -- Abra politicians yielded an additional 17 low and high-powered firearms to Task Force Abra over the weekend in compliance with the police chief's directive aimed at ridding the province of illegal ammos and dismantling private armies.
Early last week, 29 hot guns were also surrendered to authorities after PNP Chief Edgardo Aglipay visited Abra and ordered a province-wide gun ban late September.
Chief Supt. Rowland Albano, director of the Police Regional Office in the Cordillera and concurrent Task Force Abra chief, said the surrendered loose guns, which are all serviceable, are now under the custody of the Abra Provincial Police Office for proper disposition.
Late Friday morning, an agent of the Benguet Provincial Police Office, under Senior Supt. Villamor Bumanglag, confiscated a cal. 30 light machinegun bearing serial number 2620 from a British national.
Bumanglag identified the firearm's owner as Peter Pinder, a resident of Sitio Pacac, Tadiangan, Tuba, Benguet.
He said the confiscation was made after a search warrant issued by presiding Judge Benigno Galacgac was served at Pinder's residence at around 10:30 a.m. last October 8.
Last October 9, Mayor Edwin Crisologo of Tineg, Abra, voluntarily surrendered four assorted firearms to Senior Supt. Rodolfo Ebardo, officer-in-charge of the Abra Provincial Police Office and concurrent Task Force Abra deputy commander, at Camp Juan Villamor, Bangued, Abra.
Ebardo said the firearms surrendered included one Garand rifle, an M-16 rifle, a homemade caliber 7.62 rifle with one magazine assembly and a homemade gauge-12 shotgun.
The day before, eight other Abra mayors also voluntarily turned in 13 firearms to Ebardo.
Dolores Mayor Albert Guzman surrendered one Springfield Remington model 03-43 rifle; Malibcong Mayor Mario Baawa turned in one Colt M-16 baby Armalite rifle; Lubo Mayor Gregorio Sayen gave up one 12-gauge homemade shotgun revolver and three homemade caliber .38 revolvers; and Lagangilang Mayor Lizardo Sinogo submitted an additional M-16 rifle and one Armscor 12-gauge shotgun.
Manabo Mayor Masayo Domasing also yielded one Browning 12-gauge shotgun; Daguioman Mayor Sally Co Kue handed over one 12-gauge shotgun and one homemade caliber .38 revolver; Boliney Mayor Ronald Balao-as relinquished one M-16 Elisco rifle; while San Juan Mayor Medel Taverner submitted an additional homemade buckshot shotgun.
Last October 4, two teams from the Kapangan Municipal Police Station led by their officer-in-charge, Insp. Darnell Dulnuan, jumped off towards Sitio Alem, Sagubo, Kapangan, Benguet, to conduct a joint internal security and marijuana eradication operation.
The teams reportedly reached their first target, a marijuana plantation with an area of approximately 2,000 square meters, and were able to destroy 2,000 fully grown plants.
While scouring the area, the troops chanced upon a person identified as Felimon Tacap, 43, married, a farmer who resides in the area, while allegedly in the act of planting marijuana seedlings in an area measuring approximately 2,700 square meters.
The farmer was arrested with an estimated 10,800 marijuana seedlings ready for transplant even as police were also able to destroy a total of P832,000 worth of fully-grown marijuana plants and seedlings.
Tacap was locked up in jail and was charged for his alleged violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Law of 2002.
(October 14, 2004 issue)
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