ILOILO City – With their gun permits revoked, Cong. Oscar “Richard” Garin Jr. (1st District, Iloilo) and father Mayor Oscar “Oca” Garin Sr. of Guimbal, Iloilo surrendered their firearms.
Out of 19 guns registered under their names, 14 were turned over to the police yesterday morning by Iloilo vice governor Christine Garin, the congressman’s sister. She was, however, mum on the whereabouts of her father and brother.
The guns were forwarded to the Police Regional Office 6’s (PRO-6) Regional Civil Safety Unit after these were turned over to the police station of Guimbal.
According to Philippine National Police’s (PNP) Director General Oscar Alabyade on Thursday, 11 firearms were registered under the congressman’s name and eight under the Guimbal mayor’s.
Albayalde revoked the father and son’s Permits to Carry Firearms Outside of Residence (PTCFOR) and License to Own and Possess Firearms (LTOPF) on Dec. 27 as “an administrative action” in relation to a criminal case.
Guimbal police station’s Police Officer 3 Federico Macaya Jr. accused the Garins of assault upon a person in authority, grave coercion, grave threats, physical injuries, slander by deeds, serious illegal detention, and alarm and scandal following a Dec. 26 mauling incident.
The revocation of the Garins’ PTCFOR and LTOPF effectively made the father and son ineligible to own and possess guns.
These were Congressman Garin’s firearms now with the PRO-6: three .9mm pistols, two .45 pistols, a 5.56 M14 rifle, a CZ .25 pistol, a .9mm submachine gun, and a .380 pistol.
Vice Governor Garin said the two others were in Metro Manila and since the congressman’s PTCFOR had been revoked, transporting them to Iloilo was no longer feasible. The guns would instead be surrendered to the police in Metro Manila, she said.
On the other hand, these were Mayor Garin’s firearms now with the police: three .45 pistols, a Colt .380 and a 12-gauge shotgun
According to the vice governor, the three other guns of her father had been missing for some two years already and a police report had long been submitted about this.
She also said all the firearms turned over to the police yesterday had licenses, with a few already expired and currently being processed for renewal.
Senior Superintendent Marlon Tayaba, director of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office, welcomed the surrender of the firearms.
A “good gesture” was how he described it.
Tayaba changed the entire police force of Guimbal on Wednesday following Macaya’s mauling.
Mayor Garin’s supervisory power over the Guimbal police is also in danger of being revoked.
Vice Governor Garin assured the police of their family’s cooperation.
“We are very willing to give sa mga kinahanglan sa PNP,” she said.
She described as “a very great challenge” the current predicament of her father and brother.
“Pero we believe nga ara naman, na imbestigaran naman, nakaumpisa na. May complaint naman, te sundon ta na lang,” said Garin.
The vice governor and her father are seeking reelection in the May 13, 2019 midterm elections.
Congressman Garin, on the other hand, has decided not to seek reelection. He has given way to the congressional bid of his wife in the 1st District, former Health secretary Janette Garin./PN
