CL cops seize more illegal guns
THE Police Regional Office (PRO)-3 has beaten the deadline set by Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, General Rommel Francisco D. Marbil to dismantle all identified Private Armed Groups (PAGS) by March 31 this year with the surrender of one of the three targets of the crackdown.
PRO-3 director, Brigadier Gen. Jean S. Fajardo said that last week, the confessed leader of the Guinto Group and two of his men surrendered to the police with their illegal guns.
Among the weapons surrendered by the three were five caliber .45 semi-automatic pistols, one Colt cal. .380 pistol, one M-16 automatic rifle, one 12-gauge shotgun, several magazines and dozens of rounds of assorted live ammunition.
Brig. Gen. Fajardo said the three voluntarily surrendered their weapons to the NEPPO during simple ceremonies in Barangay Payapa in San Antonio municipality.
The official said that she has ordered an intensified campaign against loose firearms in Central Luzon ahead of the May 12 National and Local Elections.
PRO-3 agents served 39 search warrants for violation of Republic Act 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulations Act of 2013.
Those operations led to the confiscation of 46 assorted firearms and the arrest of 36 individuals involved in illegal possession of firearms.
Brig. Gen. Fajardo underscored the importance of these intensified efforts, noting that illegal firearms are often linked to crimes and election-related violence.
“We are taking decisive action to keep communities safe as we head toward the May 2025 elections,” she said.
The PRO3 is stepping-up its anti-criminality operations and gun ban enforcement in close coordination with the Commission on elections and their partner-law enforcement agencies in order to account for unlicensed firearms and neutralize potential threats to public safety.
Brig. Gen. Fajardo said Central Luzon residents will also play an active role in maintaining peace and security in the region during the election period.
The official encouraged citizens to report concerns to their nearest police station or via PRO-3’s official hotline and social media platforms.
Brig. Gen. Fajardo emphasized the importance of this development in the broader effort to prevent election-related violence.
The official said that the three surrenderees will undergo a process before their names could be erased from the PNP list of suspected PAG members.
“Dadaan sila sa proseso ng de-listing, ng disbanding of PAGs muna because we have a number of parameters to be followed,” Brig. Gen. Fajardo said.
The official said the three have requested that their names be withheld for the meantime and added that the NEPPO has no reason to hold on them since they have no existing warrants of arrest.
She said that the NEPPO is conducting a background check on the three to determine the truth on reports that associate them with previous killings in San Antonio.
“Their guns will undergo cross-matching to determine if any were used in previous crimes in Nueva Ecija,” the official added.
Brig. Gen. Fajardo said that she also had a lengthy talk with San Antonio Mayor Arvin Salonga who signified his intention of helping the police force in investigating a number of previous atrocities in the province attributed to his men.
She said that during the May 2022 presidential polls, the mayor and his men also figured in a standoff with the local police after they were accosted for violation of the gun ban.
However, criminal charges filed against the mayor and his personnel by the police were dismissed by the local prosecutor’s office.
