ILOILO City – A man charged with frustrated murder was finally arrested after 11 years of eluding policemen.
But 42-year-old Ronald Quirino of Barangay Acuit, Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo got himself into trouble anew.
During his arrest in Barangay Linao, Barotac Nuevo at around d 11:30 a.m. on April 16, Quirino had a gun.
There is a prevailing gun ban due to the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections this May 14. All permits to carry firearms outside of residence are suspended.
According to Chief Inspector Reymund Celoso, Barotac Nuevo police chief, policemen who served Quirino’s arrest warrant seized from the suspect a 12-gauge homemade shotgun.
“He told us the gun was for self-defense. But this is an unacceptable excuse. There’s a gun ban. He did not have a gun license, too,” said.
The arrest warrant for frustrated murder was issued against Quirino by Judge Narciso Aguilar of the Regional Trial Court, Branch 68 in 2009 yet.
Quirino became the fifth person in Region 6 caught violating the gun ban since April 14, the start of the election period for the barangay and SK polls.
Only police officers and government troops in proper uniform are allowed to carry firearms.
Private security agencies and other government law enforcement agencies should get gun ban exemptions from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) or their personnel with guns would be arrested, said Chief Superintendent Cesar Hawthorne Binag, regional police director.
The gun ban ends on May 21 or a week after the May 14 polls.
According to Senior Superintendent Henry Biñas, Iloilo City Police Office director, the bringing of deadly pointed objects such as knives is also prohibited during the election period
At around 10 p.m. on April 14, 25-year-old Nikki Carbaquil of Barangay Airport, Mandurriao district here was caught with a nine-inch knife. She was detained at the Mandurriao police station.
An hour after, a. 38 revolver was seized from the 35-year-old John Michael Salido of Barangay Calaparan, Arevalo district.
Salido was taken to the Arevalo police station.
“I am warning the public not to bring deadly weapons outside of their residences,” said Biñas.
The first person to be arrested in Western Visayas after the gun ban took effect was 33-year-old Jonathan Sison of Barangay Cabahug, Cadiz City, Negros Occidental.
At a videoke bar on Mabini Street, Barangay Zone 5, Cadiz City around 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, police recovered from Sison a .357 revolver loaded with five live bullets.
Seven hours after, at around 8:30 p.m. 39-year-old Alex Mendis of Barangay Mansilingan, Bacolod City was caught with a 10-inch knife./PN
