ILOILO City – Two unlicensed firearms were seized from a house in Crossing Tiwi, Barangay Tinori-an, Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo.
Operatives from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group’s Iloilo Provincial Field Unit arrested the 43-year-old resident Frederick Ross Fortaleza during an operation Tuesday morning.
The CIDG identified Fortaleza as a businessman and former Philippine Army soldier.
Superintendent Anthony Gantang, head of CIDG-Iloilo, said they received information that Fortaleza would indiscriminately fire his guns when drunk.
“One incident of this indiscriminate firing, on Sept. 23, has been recorded in a blotter at the Barotac Nuevo police station,” said Gantang.
Upon verification with the Firearms and Explosives Office at the Philippine National Police headquarters, they found out there were no firearms registered in the name of Fortaleza, he said.
Wielding a search warrant, operatives searched the house at around 7:30 a.m. and recovered a .40 pistol, a .22 air gun, two magazines for a .40 pistol, and 13 pieces of live ammunition.
Executive Judge Vicente Go of the Regional Trial Court Branch 68 (Dumangas) issued the warrant on Nov. 15.
Fortaleza faces charges for violation of the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act. The CIDG-Iloilo took him in custody.
Led by Gantang, the operation involved Senior Police Officers 3 Alberto Sombilon and Job Luhan, Police Officer 3 Kervin Espejo, Police Officer 2 Erwin Calubayan, and Police Officers 1 Eljohn Dapitan, Avelio Viloria and Ilene Barrios./PN
