CIDG nabs Danao gun-maker

CEBU, Philippines - Police arrested an alleged gun manufacturer and confiscated tools for gun-making in Barangay Tuburan, Danao City last Monday morning.

Operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) 7 also seized at least seven guns, three of which were unfinished, and gun-making paraphernalia at a shanty which was about a hundred meters away from the house of Roger Hermoso, 41, the subject of the operation.

CIDG-7 operatives led by Sr. Insp. Ricky Neron arrested Hermoso at the vicinity of Sto. Tomas Village in Barangay Tuburan around 10 a.m. last Monday by virtue of a search warrant issued by Regional Trial Court Branch 13 Judge Meinrado Paredes last Thursday.

Recovered from his residence were a push drill machine, 10 pieces of metal patterns for assorted calibers of firearms, a magazine for a 9mm machine pistol and a revolver cylinder for caliber .38.

Neron, in an interview with reporters, said Hermoso was not in his house when they arrived so they went to the shanty after receiving a tip from a resident.

Neron said they saw from a distance at least three men who scampered to different directions possibly after sensing their presence.

Left at the shanty were several firearms of various calibers and some equipment used in the manufacture of firearms such as two caliber .45 pistols, one of which had no serial number; a Colt caliber .45 and a KG-9 caliber 9mm machine pistol.

Also recovered were two unfinished caliber .45 pistols, also an unfinished KG-9 caliber 9mm machine pistol, a push drill machine, two barrels, two springs, six magazines, and 20 live ammunitions for a caliber .45 pistol.

Neron claimed that they were on their way back to the house of the suspect when they spotted him near his house. They informed Hermoso about the warrant issued against him and invited him to come to his house, to which he acceded.

After the recovery of the pieces of evidence in his presence, Hermoso was placed under arrest.

The suspect admitted owning the items recovered from his residence but denied owning the guns recovered from the shanty.

He said that he used to be a manufacturer of guns but he stopped two years ago after he hurt his head in a vehicular accident.

He will be facing a case for unlawful possession of part of firearm and tools or instruments used or intended to be used in the manufacture of any firearm. This is a violation of section 1 of Presidential Decree 1866 as amended by Republic Act 8294.

The CIDG-7 head, Sr. Supt. Ramon Rafael, said the arrest is part of their anti-criminality operations especially since there are many unsolved killings in Metro Cebu because of loose firearms. Most of the loose guns come from Danao City, considered as the gun-manufacturing capital in Cebu.

Rafael hopes that criminals will realize the police have strengthened their operations against loose firearms.

Chief Supt. Ager Ontog, director of the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7, congratulated Rafael, Neron, and other personnel who were part of the operation for the “very laudable accomplishment” as part of the National Firearms Control Program of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Ontog admitted that the proliferation of loose firearms is a problem in Cebu especially in Danao City. With this, he plans to meet with the local officials of Danao to discuss ways to control this, possibly to offer alternative sources of income for residents whose way of life is gun-manufacturing. – (FREEMAN)