13 FEO personnel attend probe on 900 missing guns

MANILA, Philippines - At least 13 personnel of the Firearms and Explosive Office (FEO) of the Philippine National Police have appeared for questioning before the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) on their alleged role in the disappearance of 900 high-powered firearms.

It was not clear, however, whether the five police officials and the eight enlisted men and non-uniformed personnel of the FEO would be among those to be charged for the missing AK-47 and M16 rifles.

CIDG director Chief Superintendent Benjamin Magalong claimed that they are in the “homestretch” of their investigation on the missing firearms and are now determining who would be charged in court.

“We are transparent in our investigation and rest assured that you would be the first to know once we are filing the charges in court,” Magalong said in a recent press briefing.

Earlier, President Aquino ordered an investigation of several officials including Director Gil Meneses of the PNP Civil Security Group (CSG), Chief Superintendent Raul Petrasanta of Police Regional Office 3 (PRO3), Chief Superintendent Tom Rentoy of the Supervisory Office for Security and Investigation Agencies (SOSIA), Senior Superintendent Regie Catiis, of the Directorate for Comptrollership, and Senior Superintendent Eduardo Acierto Jr. regarding the missing AK-47 and M16 rifles.

Meneses and Petrasanta are former chiefs of the FEO while Catiis and Acierto formerly headed the firearms licensing division.

Meneses applied for non-duty status last March 1 while Rentoy retired last Feb. 26 after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 56.

Magalong said an additional 10 FEO personnel would be charged along with the five police officials.

Newly designated CSG director Chief Superintendent Melito Mabilin admitted that FEO personnel were ordered to appear for investigation before the CIDG regarding the missing firearms but he declined to identify them.