CEBU, Philippines - The 13 members of a gun-manufacturing cooperative in Danao City who were arrested during the recent police raid will be detained for about a month as they filed a waiver of detention yesterday.
Lawyer Jessie Capoy, the suspects’ counsel, said they filed a waiver of detention before the prosecutor’s office in Danao City so that they can then file a counter-affidavit against the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)-7, which conducted the raid.
Capoy said they have a strong ground in filing the counter-charge as the raiding team arrested his clients without legal basis.
The lawyer said the CIDG-7 operatives arrested the suspects eventhough their names were not listed as subjects in the search warrant issued by Regional Trial Court Judge Silvestre Maamo.
He said it was only Florito Roble, the current appointed chairman of Workers League of Danao Multi-purpose Cooperative or WORLD MPC, who was listed as subject of the warrant.
“Siya ra ang subject sa warrant so wa’y rason nga dakpon to sila. Na-taymingan lang gyud nga didto sila sulod sa cooperative pag-raid sa mga pulis,” Capoy told The FREEMAN.
Capoy said Roble was not around when the police came. The police will no longer be running after him also as they are already done filing criminal charges against the 13 suspects, he added.
The CIDG-7 has filed a criminal complaint for illegal possession of firearms against the suspects who were inside the factory that is operating with an expired permit.
Capoy said the police arrested the suspects, only “presuming” that they were manufacturing guns as they were inside the factory.
“They were not caught in the act. Nahulog man gud to siya na factory so naa pa gyu’y mga nahibiling parts sa mga pusil. Maglimpyo na sila regularly sulod sa factory kay matay-an man nang mga armas. Naa pud sila’y allowance madawat ana. Dili sila makapalusot og armas oy kay wa sila’y permit,” he said.
WORLD MPC is one of the licensed gun manufacturers in Danao City. However, the cooperative failed to renew its license, which expired last December.
Capoy said the cooperative encountered internal problems that prevented it to secure a new permit.
“Namatay ang ilang presidente, I think, last year. Unya ang mi-take over midagan sad pagka-barangay captain so ming-retire na. Kani si Roble, mga two to three months ago pa ni siya na-appoint as chairman sa cooperative,” he said.
The lawyer further said the cooperative is currently processing the renewal of its permit and it will now have a hard time in getting the permit because it is in the factory where the documents are kept.
“Gusto lang nila og legal nga trabaho,” Capoy said.
The suspects will remain detained at the CIDG-7 detention cell until such time Danao City Prosecutor Jose Dionisio Kyamko arrives at a resolution on the case, Cardiño, in a separate interview, said.
On the allegations that the arrest had no basis, Cardiño said it is up to the court to decide on the matter. - (THE FREEMAN)