Monday, July 21, 2008 Abra folk surrender firearms
RATHER than have search warrants served in their houses, several residents of Bangued, Abra voluntarily surrendered their loose firearms to a composite police in their respective barangays last Thursday morning.
Senior Superintedent Cedrick Train, regional chief of the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) in the Cordillera, said the unlicensed guns were surrendered to them with the assistance of barangay chairmen Arturo Regalado and Luis Pasinag of Sappaak and Malamsit, respectively.
Recovered by the team composed of personnel of the PNP-CIDG and the Bangued Municipal Police Station were four homemade caliber 38 pistols, one homemade shotgun, one homemade .22 mm caliber pistol, four live caliber .22 bullets and one ammunition magazine of the same caliber.
"At around 11 a.m. of July 17, the joint team conducted operations against loose firearms or for any violation of Presidential Decree 1866, as amended by Republic Act 8294, in Barangays Sappaak and Malamsit, which resulted in the recovery of these loose firearms and ammunition," he said.
"The recovery of these loose firearms was made possible through the persistent efforts of joint elements of PNP-CIDG team in Abra and the Bangued police, with the assistance of the two barangay captains," Train explained.
He said the operation was a result of the continuous surveillance on persons suspected to have loose firearms in their possession in different barangays of Bangued, Abra and considering that Abra is known where several shooting incidents normally occur compared to other provinces in the region.
All recovered firearms and ammunition were subsequently turned over to the Bangued Municipal Police Station for documentation, safekeeping and proper disposition. He added the operation was in line with "Oplan Pagla-lansag Omega". (ENO)
