Three men jailed for gun ban offense

CEBU, Philippines - Three men, including a former criminal, are the first to fall in the first two days of implementation of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) gun ban in Cebu.

This, as a Cebu City official said there are still loose firearms in the city they would soon be applying for search warrants against the identified owners.

“Di lang nato i-divulge kung kinsa ug kung pila sila, basta naa sila sa atong target list nga dunay mga armas na dili lisensyado (I won’t reveal any names but these people are in our target list of personalities possessing unlicensed firearms),” said City Intelligence Branch Chief Romeo Santander.

He was glad, though, that not a single violator has been arrested in Cebu city yet, which he said is a good indicator.

“Before (the May 2013 national elections), daghang nakuha dayon (we made arrests immediately). At least karon naa na’y (there is already) awareness ang kadaghanan ug (in most people and they are now) responsible gun holder(s) na sila,” said Santander.

The first violator was an ex-convict caught in the town of San Fernando for having with him a bayonet, which is covered under the ban for being a deadly weapon.

An allegedly drunk Ernesto Cañedo, 49, was arrested at 12:40 am last Saturday after reportedly berating and threatening Monico Montalban with the bayonet.

Cañedo, who has been convicted for homicide in Bataan, is now detained and will face charges for violating the ban, illegal possession of a deadly weapon, and possibly grave threats.

Meanwhile, in Barangay Poblacion, Cordova, police handcuffed Rodyard Tirol, 29, after he was caught carrying a caliber .38 revolver, which he reportedly used in poking the head of his neighbor Enrique Dacua, 54, Saturday afternoon.

The third person caught for not following the gun ban was Romulo Torre, 24, who also yielded a caliber .38 revolver loaded with one bullet.

His arrest came after Joven Maquinto, 29, and his live-in partner Marivic Pasil sought help from the Barili Police Station because Torre allegedly threatened to kill him and then fired a shot to the ground.

Responding policemen went to Barangay Budbud, Barili at 2 a.m. yesterday and collared Torre who, like Cañedo and Tirol, failed to present documents showing he was authorized to carry a gun outside his residence.

In Cebu City, Santander said checkpoints had been set in strategic locations of the city to effectively impose the Comelec gun ban, which will last until Nov. 12.

He said a man who was shot dead in Barangay Tejero yesterday afternoon could have been the first gun ban violator in the city.

The victim, who remains unidentified as of press time, had with him a caliber .38 revolver, which was suspected to be a loose firearm. —(FREEMAN)