BMO worker nabbed for gun, drugs

CEBU, Philippines —  A 45-year-old employee of the Barangay Mayor’s Office (BMO) in Toong, Cebu City, who was allegedly in possession of an unlicensed firearm, was arrested yesterday, in a Commission on Election (Comelec) checkpoint in Barangay Buhisan.

Police Major Chuck Barandog, City Mobile Force Company chief, said while his men were manning a checkpoint at around 11 a.m., Redjie Cabingatan who was on board a motorcycle was ordered to stop after his improvised frontier revolver protruded from his waistline.

Barandog did not discount the possibility that Cabingatan might be involved in the death of the 21-year-old student identified as Jovanie Pat, who was killed in robbery on Friday night along Tres de Abril Street, Barangay Labangon, Cebu City.

 “Possible nga suspect kay ang armas nga gigamit sa tinun-an sa Tres de Abril is revolver, ang ato na confiscate is also a revolver,” he said, adding they will request for a ballistic examination. (He is a possible suspect because the firearm used in the killing was a revolver and the firearm we confiscated is also a revolver.)

Cabingatan, who admitted he owns the firearm, denied the allegation that he was involved in the robbery that killed Pat, a graduating student of the Cebu Institute of Technology University (CITU).

Cabatingan said he has never robbed or shot a person and he has not been arrested before.

Cabingatan added he had a gun for self-defense.

Pat is supposed to graduate this October.

Investigation disclosed that Pat was accompanying his friend, Qunie Ruth Antivo, at around 10 p.m. Few meters away from Antivo’s boarding house, the robbers who were on board a motorcycle allegedly asked for their bags and threatened them with a gun.

Though they heeded, Pat was shot in the groin.

Aside from the firearm, cellular phone, suspected shabu, drugs paraphernalia and motorcycle were also recovered from the possession of Cabingatan.

Cabingatan denied that he owns the sachets of shabu recovered although he admitted that he uses illegal drugs. 

Meanwhile, Police Regional Office-7 Police Brigadier General Debold Sinas said the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) already has persons of interest in the relation to Pat’s death but they cannot divulge the identity yet because follow-up operations are being conducted.

These persons of interest are less than 30 years old and have been previously charged with robbery and theft.

Sinas directed his men to revisit their patrol and visibility plans.

“Revisit your visibility patrols and check again why these petty crimes happen. We believe that those who were arrested before and have posted bail are the ones responsible,” he said.

Sinas also directed his men to raid the hideouts of these petty criminals.

“There are lesser bank robberies and kidnapping. What have become rampant are petty crimes and these usually involve drugs because they need money,” he added. — MBG (FREEMAN)