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Wednesday, June 25, 2003
Pangasinan mayors want permit to carry firearms
By Liway C. Manantan-Yparragyuirre
CALASIAO -- The Pangasinan Mayors League (PML) is asking the police to issue them permits to carry short and long firearms outside their homes so they could protect themselves from the New People's Army (NPA)
This came in the wake of the assassination of Tayug Mayor Guerrero Zaragoza who was killed by NPA hit men dawn last Sunday as he left a cockpit arena.
The PML also passed a resolution on Tuesday condemning the killing.
The PML members met with Police Senior Supt. Mario R. Sandiego at the Regency Hotel here to discuss security issues.
Sto. Tomas Mayor Antonio 'Bebot' Villar Jr. said they would be happy if they would be granted the permit to carry one short firearm and one long firearm, "which of course is subject to the decision of the granting authority."
LMP national president and Binalonan Mayor Ramon Guico said Police Director Gen. Hermogenes E. Ebdane Jr. had initially agreed to their request, especially in Pangasinan.
After calling up Ebdane, Guico reported that the PNP chief had agreed "in principle" to their need, but said that this done on a case-to-case basis.
Security conscious
Sandiego clarified that no other mayor in the province has received death threats but were only concerned with their security because of what happened to Zaragoza.
He said they would study the mayors' request, if ever; issuance of the permits would be on a case-to-case basis.
Sandiego assured the mayors he would help them in the processing of their requests. He asked them to submit to his office their request papers and he will forward it to Ebdane's office.
Sandiego also reported that they had a coordinating meeting with some officers of the Philippine Army at Balungao town last Monday. Present were Gen. 'Boysie' Braganza, Col. Narcise of the 702nd Brigade and Col. Dario, battalion commander of the 48th Infantry Battalion.
"We have a common finding, that although we cannot categorically state that the communist terrorist ang gumawa nang pagpatay kay mayor, there is a strong indication na sila nga ang perpetrators," he disclosed.
"The mode of operation used by the perpetrators is the style of the communist terrorists. If their intended target was killed, they will immediately admit it. The (NPA central command) might be disowning the killing dahil may mga civilians na namatay," he said.
The mayor was a marked target, he stressed. As pointed out, one of the subversive documents recovered during the encounter last November 2002 in Eastern Pangasinan was a 'hit list' containing the name of Zaragoza, while taken from one of the arrested dissident terrorists was a photo of the alderman.
"Pinaghandaan siya, dapat second week of June ang schedule noong derby but it was rescheduled to June 21 because of typhoon Chedeng," he said.
(June 25, 2003 issue)
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