EDITORIAL - Illegal possession

The word from the Office of the Presidential Adviser for Political Affairs over the weekend was that two administrative staffers of OPA head Ronald Llamas had been sacked for taking a joy ride on a vehicle with official license plates, with high-powered guns in tow, including an AK-47. Do Philippine security forces use the Russian-made Kalashnikov? They use Armalites, Galils and, for special units, the Israeli-made Uzis.

Another question is why men in another vehicle arrived and took away the firearms when the Mitsubishi Montero bearing the protocol plate assigned to Llamas’ office, 6 OPA, figured in a collision at past 2 a.m. last Friday along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City. Where did the AK-47 come from, and is it licensed? After some conflicting statements, OPA said the assault rifle was licensed in Llamas’ name. But the legality of the possession of the weapons should have been established by cops responding to the vehicular accident.

Action star Robin Padilla went to prison for several years for firearms found in his vehicle that he was not licensed to carry around. Those guns in Llamas’ SUV were potential pieces of evidence in a criminal case that should not have been tampered with. The ones who removed the guns should also be identified. Working for a Cabinet member, and driving around in a car with official protocol plates, probably made Llamas’ employees feel they were above the law, and they behaved accordingly.

Their attitude is not unique. Security escorts of other government officials have figured in worse incidents, with those belonging to politicians’ private armies showing the most abusive behavior. Security escorts typically reflect the attitude of their bosses toward public office: if the boss sees a position in government as an entitlement, it rubs off on employees down the line.

The government should do more than just sack OPA employees Joey Tecson, who drove Llamas’ SUV, and John Alarcon. The two are civilians who, if Llamas is telling the truth, were not supposed to be carrying around high-powered weapons. That was a clear case of illegal possession of firearms, and the two should be charged accordingly. No one is above the law. Or at least that’s what we’ve been told by the government of daang matuwid.