POLICE Regional Office Central Visayas Director General Redrico Maranan has issued a command to the head of the Danao City Police Station to arrest all individuals involved in the manufacturing of illegal firearms in the city.
This comes after the arrest of three members of a large syndicate involved in the illegal trade of unlicensed firearms in the area on Friday, March 21, 2025.
Maranan stated that he has given the Danao Police Chief one month to capture the individuals responsible for the production and sale of illegal firearms.
If these suspects are not apprehended within the 30-day period, or if other police units manage to seize illegal firearms, the Danao Police Chief will face charges under command responsibility, and he will be relieved of his duties.
"Base on policy pagka hindi niya nahuli yung mga gumagawa diyan sa lugar na yan at may other units, other than Danao City Police Station ang nakahuli diyan eh meron siyang tinatawag na command responsibility and pag ikaw may violations command responsibility then you will be administratively relieved," Maranan said.
(Based on policy, if he fails to arrest those responsible in his jurisdiction, and another police unit, other than the Danao City Police Station, makes an arrest, he will be held accountable for command responsibility. If there are violations, command responsibility will apply, and he will be administratively relieved.)
According to the information gathered, the arrested individuals are part of a large syndicate involved in the illegal trade of firearms, which are believed to be distributed to other regions of the Philippines.
These firearms are reportedly shipped out of Cebu via boat, and the investigation is ongoing to determine the full extent of the group's operations.
The suspects are said to be capable of manufacturing submachine pistols like the KG9 and high-quality .45 caliber pistols, which have been used in the proliferation of loose firearms in Central Visayas.
General Maranan observed that whenever firearms are confiscated from armed individuals, they often disclose that they bought these weapons at a low price from Danao.
Meanwhile, the Police Regional Office 7 is continuing its manhunt operation to capture an elected official who managed to escape during the recent operation.
Maranan confirmed that the official in question is a former barangay councilor from Danao City, whose business involves the manufacturing of illegal firearms.
Charges have already been filed against the suspects under Republic Act 10591 (Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act), in relation to the Omnibus Election Code and the Comelec Gun Ban. (AYB)