Chief Insp. Sulpecio Jabagat, PNP Samar spokesperson, said
Thursday afternoon that investigation is ongoing on why a local official in an
upland Patong village have to keep assorted firearms.
Several firearms were recovered by the police in a raid on August
14 at the houses of Patong village chief Jemuel de Pablo and some of his
relatives.
The village official was not around during the raid, but a family
member, Jomar de Pablo was arrested for illegal possession of firearms.
The raiding team executed the search warrant issued by Judge
Agerico Avila of Regional Trial Court Branch 29 base in this city.
“It’s possible that some groups will use these guns to harass
candidates and their supporters in next year’s elections. We are investigating
how they acquired these firearms since some serial number indicates that these
are the same model as those acquired by the government,” Jabagat told
reporters.
The Samar police intelligence team recovered during the raid
caliber .45 pistols, magazines, carbine rifles, revolvers, homemade shotguns,
grenades, live ammunitions, and improvised shotguns.
“I wonder why an official in a remote village have to keep these
firearms since he’s not a police or an army. They’re not able to show proof
that these firearms are licensed. I’m sure these are intended somewhere else,”
he added.
The police official cannot confirm if the village official is part
of the private armed group in Samar.
Jabagat said they are stepping up intelligence gathering on loose
firearms in Calbayog City, known for spate of violence especially during
election period.
This year alone, more than 10 shooting incidents occured in the
city, the official said.
The latest was on August 7 where a lone gunman riding a motorcycle
killed the city’s assistant engineer Rafaelito Serrano.
Calbayog, one of the biggest cities in the country in terms of
land area, has been known as election hotspot due to intense political
rivalries. (SQM/PNA)
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