Sunday, May 09, 2004
5 of Saldivar's men caught with guns
By Erwin G. Dela Rosa
SAN NICOLAS -- Five men of mayoralty bet Leoncio "Janggit" S. Saldivar III were detained at the municipal police station's jail after they were apprehended for illegal possession of firearms and explosives.
Joint elements of the 3rd company of the Regional Mobile Group and the municipal police arrested Saldivar's men 9 p.m. last April 7 for violation of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) gun ban.
Detained at the police jail are Rodulfo Abat Fulgusino, Carlos Labiano Andaya, Virgilio Buccat Trinidad, Danilo Domingo Nario, and Romeo Villa Dela Cruz after they were caught with pistols and a hand grenade in Barangay Sta. Maria West here.
The group was on a blue Tamaraw FX with plate number AMS 864 registered to Angel Saldivar Jr., the mayoralty bet's uncle, when they were intercepted by the joint police group during a mobile Comelec checkpoint.
Their driver, identified as Samuel Dela Cruz Tambo, a resident of Barangay San Felipe East, also in the said town, was released because no firearm was caught in his possession.
According to SPO3 Danilo Reformado Pascua, local police chief investigator, they had been receiving text messages under the "Police Mo Ka-Text Mo" program about the group in the said barangay.
He said that last Friday while conducting the Comelec checkpoint, they received another text message about the presence of the group in the said barangay, and immediately responded, posted, and conducted the entrapment.
Fulgusino, 50, a resident of South Gate, Fort Magsaysay, Palayan City, Nueva Ecija, was caught possessing a 9mm Lugger Belgium-made pistol with serial number 245NX54924, including eight live ammunition and one magazine.
Andaya, 54, married, a resident of Barangay Bariwan, Tagudin, Ilocos Sur was caught with a .45 caliber pistol with serial number 797439, seven live ammunition and one magazine.
Trinidad, 45, single, a resident of San Rafael West, San Nicolas, Pangasinan, was caught possessing a .45 caliber pistol with 12 live ammunitions and two magazines while Nario, 29, single, a resident of Barangay Aloo, Umingan, Pangasinan, was caught in possession of .38 caliber paltik revolver with five live ammunition.
Dela Cruz possessed a .38 Squire Bringham pistol with six live ammunitions. Also recovered from the group was a hand grenade.
Police said the firearms have no permit. They added that the group has been harassing voters in villages.
(May 9, 2004 issue)
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