4 Sinos facing gun raps arraigned today in Ilocos

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya , Philippines  â€“ Four Chinese nationals arrested last month for possession of unlicensed firearms are set to be arraigned today in Ilocos Norte.

The arraignment of Lei Guang, Dang Hoi Yin, Lui Xin Fen and Dennis Min Co was initially slated last Thursday but was reset for today as they had no interpreter.

This prompted the Ilocos Norte prosecutor’s office to ask the police to provide an interpreter for the Chinese, who they charged with illegal possession of firearms and explosives and violation of the existing gun ban before the Bangui regional trial court.  

The respondents though have pending motions to hold the arraignment in abeyance and quash the charges filed against them.

Senior Superintendent Jeffrey Gorospe, Ilocos Norte police spokesman, said they also have a pending motion before the provincial prosecutor’s office to transfer the trial from Bangui town to Laoag City due to security reasons. 

“It will be safer for the suspects if (their) case will be tried and heard in Laoag,” he said.

Gorospe said the four Chinese were arrested last May 28 after their vehicle yielded three MP5 submachine guns, a Pietro Beretta pistol, a 40-caliber rifle, two .45-caliber pistols, a 9-mm Glock pistol, eight grenades, and an improvised explosive.

Before their arrest, the four reportedly figured in a commotion where they broke beer bottles, triggering a car chase with responding lawmen until they were intercepted in a checkpoint along the national highway in Barangay Davila, Pasuquin town. 

The Laoag City regional office of the Bureau of Immigration is also mulling to file charges against the four Chinese after they were found to have no visas and other pertinent travel documents.