Ecija vice mayor, ex-mayor, 2 bgy chairs, bank manager turn over firearms
CABANATUAN CITY — An incumbent municipal vice mayor in Nueva Ecija, a former mayor, two barangay chairmen and a lady bank manager were among those who gave up their firearms to the government following an intensified campaign against loose firearms launched by the police in the province.
Nueva Ecija police provincial director Col. Rhoderick B. Campo said a total of 23 assorted long and short firearms were voluntarily surrendered in a single day as a result of constant dialogues being conducted by the authorities in the barangays in relation to the upcoming national and local elections next year.
Campo said these surrendered firearms were mostly with expired licenses which were turned-over for safe-keeping purposes to various police stations in the province on Sunday.
Among those who surrendered their firearms were Carranglan Vice Mayor Efren P. Alfonso Jr. who gave up his Glock cal. 9mm pistol; former Licab mayor Noli Co, who turned over his pistolized cal. 9mm submachine gun; Palayan City, Barangay Caballero chairman Romeo Bautista, his cal .38 revolver, Zaragosa barangay Sta. Cruz head Emillie Ebbers, a cal. 22 revolver, and a 52-year-old lady bank manager in Sta. Rosa town, who surrendered her high-powered M-16 rifle to the police on Sunday.
Campo said the Lupao police station topped the list for most number of surrendered guns with four individuals, including a businessman, turning over four firearms for safekeeping — an improvised sumpak, two gauge-12 shotguns and a cal. 45 pistol.
This was followed by the San Jose City police under Lt. Col. Criselda Y. de Guzman with an AK-47 assault rifle, a 9mm and a .45. caliber
Campo said the other municipal police stations with surrendered firearms were those in Talavera, San Antonio, General Natividad, Jaen, Carranglan, Guimba, Laur, Llanera, Cabiao, Nampicuan, and Bongabon.
