ILOILO City – A barangay tanod was the first person to get caught in the Police Regional Office 6’s (PRO-6) “Tokhang Kontra Ginadumili-an nga Pusil” – a campaign against loose guns.
The 52-year-old Warlito Camillo of Barangay Jaguikican, Laua-an, Antique faces a charge for illegal gun possession.
He was arrested in his house at around 8:10 a.m. yesterday. Laua-an policemen recovered two homemade 12-gauge shotguns and five shotgun bullets.
“We raided his house. We have a search warrant. He peacefully turned over to us the guns and bullets,” said Superintendent Jay Malong, Laua-an police chief.
The Laua-an police received information that Camillo often fired his guns.
Malong said the suspect did not have a gun license.
“Nasampulan na at tanod member pa,” said Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao, regional police director.
He again urged gun owners to better surrender to the police their unlicensed firearms to avoid trouble.
“Talagang aarestohin ka namin,” added Bulalacao.
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 director.
He expressed concern that loose guns may be used during the 2019 midterm elections.
The Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act of 2002 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
