Minor arrested for bringing gun to school in Argao

CEBU, Philippines - A 15-year-old student carrying a .38 revolver loaded with six bullets was arrested by the Argao police Thursday afternoon after he was sighted within the premises of Argao National School in Barangay Canbanua.

The third year high school student admitted bringing a revolver but claimed he just borrowed it from his relative whose name he refused to disclose.

The arrest stemmed from a telephone call of Jona Teo, a teacher, who informed the police station about 4:25 in the afternoon and alleged that one of the students was seen armed.

Inspector Alejandro Batobalonos, chief of the Argao Police Station, said that it was Teo who called them but the text message she received was relayed by the school principal Elma Larombe who was attending a meeting at the Department of Education District Office at that time and who also received the text from an informant.

Batobalonos said the student’s parents do not know where their son got the revolver.

The family has been residing in Barangay Poblacion, Argao for a year now after they transferred from Naga City because of a personal matter.

Batobalonos said the school lacks security because this was the second time a student was arrested.

Last August 24, police arrested a 16-year-old student for allegedly selling marijuana inside the premises of the same school. The suspect was arrested during a buy-bust operation. Seized from him were three other marijuana sticks placed inside a red Mighty cigarette pack, a cellular phone, P150 cash believed to his proceeds from selling the marijuana sticks, and the P20 buy-bust money.

Later in the afternoon, the minor’s 21-year-old half brother was arrested in a follow-up operation in Barangay Talaytay and confiscated from his possession were two packs of green Mighty cigarettes containing 32 marijuana sticks amounting to P480 and two boxes of Commando matches containing dried marijuana leaves amounting to P540 placed inside a small blue plastic sachet.   

Batobalonos said a dialogue will be made between the school and the PNP to discuss the matter.

Police are still waiting for the result of the evaluation conducted by the Department of Social Welfare and Development if the suspect acted with discernment or not before they will file charges for violation of RA 8294 against the suspect.Upon learning of the incident, Dr. Ricaredo Borgonia, regional director of the Department of Education-7, asked for an incident report regarding what happened before any measure will be taken.

Borgonia told The FREEMAN that a school’s security is responsibility of the school head saying they have to coordinate with the barangay for the deployment of barangay tanods to man the school.

“That is our procedure that the school should have security by coordinating with the barangay but I have to see first the incident report before an investigation,” he said. (FREEMAN)