Alarcio: Guns not meant to disrupt ASEAN Summit

The guns confiscated at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport last Friday were not intended to be used in disrupting the upcoming Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit contrary to earlier reports, Police Regional Office-7 director Silverio Alarcio said yesterday.

"It is not intended to disrupt the ASEAN, the shipment of firearms from Region 11 has nothing to do the ASEAN," Alarcio clarified.

The PNP Aviation Group confiscated 12 AK-47 assault rifles, two H&K rifles, an M-16 rifle and five 12-gauge shotguns shipped by Kadayawan Security Agency with a permit to transport last Friday.

Alarcio said that the guns were legally owned by the security agency that has a client here in Cebu demanding high-powered firearms for their security escorts in their armored vans carrying large amount of cash.

It was the lack of papers that led the police hold it and turn it over to the Firearms and Explosives Security Agency, Guards Supervisory Section under the Regional Operations and Planning Division in PRO-7 for more investigation.

Alarcio said that the Kadawayan Security Agency will be investigated for administrative lapses for not properly complying with the guidelines in transporting their firearms.

S/Supt. Lyndon Lawas of the Firearms and Explosives Division told The Freeman that the said agency will be sanctioned administratively and might be fined for procedural lapses.

Based on the guidelines, Lawas said that a security agency that wants to branch out must register on the nearest provincial police office which Kadayawan reportedly failed to do.

Lawas also noted the failure of the agency to inform the FED or the ROPD in PRO-7 about the transportation of these firearms to Cebu.

The FESAGSS will require the agency to submit the original copy of the licenses of these firearms today for scrutiny and will ask the representative of the said agency to give a comment on it.

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Customs said the firearms might have been smuggled from China after they determined that the guns had no manufacturer markings and the security agency is not registered to import high-powered firearms. - Ramil V. Ayuman and Edwin Ian Melecio/BRP