Man gets 9-year jail term for illegal firearm, gun ban

CEBU, Philippines - A man was convicted for illegal possession of firearm and violation of the Commission on Elections gun ban and was sentenced to suffer the maximum penalty of nine years imprisonment for both crimes.

 Regional Trial Court Judge Gilbert Moises of Branch 18 sentenced Carlito Pugoy to suffer imprisonment of up to eight years for illegal possession of firearm and another one year for violation of the gun ban.

Moises found Pugoy guilty of both charges after he failed to appear in court during trial.

“His repeated failure to appear in court despite his knowledge that he was being tried for two crimes indicates a guilty mind unwilling to face the consequences of a guilty conscience which is equivalent to flight,” the six-page decision reads.

On top of the jail term, Pugoy was ordered to pay P30,000 fine.

Pugoy was arrested on November 3, 2010 at around 12:35 p.m. in Barangay Suba, Cebu City.

PO2 Ricafort Sucgang of the Police Station 6 said that they responded to an armed person  alarm when they arrested the accused at the Pasil Public Market. A Caliber .45 pistol with five rounds of ammunition was seized from the accused. (FREEMAN)