Ex anti-com fighter nabbed for guns

A former member of an anti-communist group was arrested by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group for allegedly possessing firearms and more than one hundred ammunitions in his house in barangay Campo 4, Talisay City.

Chief Inspector Rex Derilo identified the suspect as 55-year-old Florencio Saballa. The raid was made by virtue of a search warrant issued by Regional Trial Court Branch 10 Judge Soliver Peras.

The raid, which was conducted by a CIDG team headed by Chief Inspector Fermin Armendares, was in line with the campaign against armed elements.

Derilo told reporters that the operation was in connection with the program of the Philippine National Police for an honest, orderly and peaceful election.

Police seized from Saballa's house a World War II-era vintage .30 caliber Winchester Garand rifle and 12 clips of ammunitions and 110 pieces of ammunitions and two empty shells of .30 caliber. They also seized a .38 homemade revolver with eight live ammunitions.

Derilo said they received reports that Saballa has been harassing his neighbors every time he got drunk and would brandish his guns. But Saballa denied the allegations.

Saballa, who is engaged in a livestock business, admitted to reporters that he is a member of the anti-communist movement that fought alongside the Philippine Constabulary against the rebels during the early 1980s in the barangay.

He claimed that the firearms were issued to him by the movement back then to fight alongside the military, but added that he has no idea on how the group obtained the weapons.

He also admitted that he is a supporter of an incumbent official in Talisay City, but refused to name the politician and clarified that he is not a goon of the official.

Derilo said they were studying if Saballa could be excluded in the gun ban of the Commission on Elections because the firearms and ammunitions were confiscated inside his house by virtue of a search warrant. - Edwin Ian Melecio