Brgy tanod hurt in gun accident

CEBU, Philippines - A barangay tanod is in serious condition after he accidentally shot himself with his own gun inside the Sto. Niño barangay hall yesterday afternoon.

Ricardo Pugoy, 33, sustained a gunshot wound in his back with the bullet exiting from the left side of his chest, said SPO4 Alex Dacua of the Homicide Section.

Dacua said the victim lay down on a bench to get some sleep around 1:30 p.m., when his .357 cal. revolver fell from the waistband of his pants and discharged.

His fellow barangay tanods rushed him to the Cebu City Medical Center.

His firearm is now with the police.

Based on the claim of the victim to his fellow barangay tanods, Dacua said the gun was licensed. The victim allegedly has a mission order/memorandum of receipt which the police are now verifying.

Esmeraldo Oga, 65, also a barangay tanod of the area and father of Pugoy’s live-in-partner, said he invited the victim to eat lunch first before going to sleep, but the latter said he will take his meal later.

He said they were all on duty yesterday because of All Saints’ Day event.

Oga was at the ground floor of the barangay hall manning his post as a desk officer and radio operator when he heard the gunshot.

The victim resides in Barangay Quiot-Pardo but is a registered voter of Barangay Sto. Niño, which is a requirement to become a barangay tanod there.

The victim only goes to Pardo, Oga said, because his parents live there. He often stays in Legaspi St., Barangay Sto. Niño with his common-law-wife, who is four months pregnant and sells junk food near the Basilica del Sto. Niño Church.

They have a seven-year-old son.

Supt. Rex Derilo, chief of the Firearms and Explosive, Security Agencies and Guards Supervisory Section said they discourage firearm owners from bringing their guns to the cemeteries.

“We discourage them to carry firearms outside of residence, pero if they carry, then wa’y problem basta di lang sulod sa mga sam-ang diin gidili,” he said.

He clarified that they did not cancel any permit to carry firearms but they simply want to prevent untoward incident like what happened to Pugoy who accidentally shot himself yesterday.

Instead of taking such risk of bringing firearms, Derilo said that “everyone should cooperate with the police.” “Tabangan na lang nila ang police, kay di man ta makalikay nga magdala-dala sila og pusil unya makakita og away kuyaw na,” he said. – (FREEMAN)