ILOILO City – The former barangay captain of Pali-Benedicto, Mandurriao district was arrested. Policemen who searched his house found assorted ammunitions.
The search was carried out at around 5:40 p.m. on Aug. 16. The 69-year-old Ramonito Gratis was taken to the Mandurriao police station.
He would be charged with violation of the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act, said Chief Inspector Engilbert Banquillo, officer in charge of the Mandurriao police station.
In one of the rooms at Gratis’ house policemen recovered three bullets of an undetermined caliber placed inside a camera box together with one magazine pouch.
Twenty-nine more were found at a nipa hut adjacent to Gratis’ house, said Banquillo.
According to the police official, they applied for a search warrant against Gratis because police records showed him having a registered 12-gauge shotgun but the license expired in 2014 yet.
Cops, however, failed to find the gun during the search.
“Ka-irresponsible man kay Kap. Pila na ka years wala ‘ya gid gin turnover ang firearm or ipa-renew ang license,” said Banquillo.
Gratis told Panay News the shotgun was actually not his but a friend’s but he was allowed to have it licensed under his name.
According to Gratis, gun was no longer in his possession but he did not identify his friend.
The search warrant against Gratis was issued by Judge Gloria Madero of the Regional Trial Court, Branch 29.
The search on Gratis’ house was part of the intensified campaign of the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) against loose firearms.
There are an estimated 77,000 loose firearms in Western Visayas and 18,000 of these are in the possession of criminals such as guns-for-hire, according to the PRO-6.
Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao, regional police director, expressed concern that loose guns may be used during the 2019 midterm elections.
The Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act defines a loose gun as “an unregistered firearm, an obliterated or altered firearm, firearm which has been lost or stolen, illegally manufactured firearms, registered firearms in the possession of an individual other than the licensee and those with revoked licenses in accordance with the rules and regulations.”/PN
