WV police collar 49 for
violating gun ban

The number of persons arrested for violating the election ban in Western Visayas had gone up to 49 as of Monday, with 19 of them arrested by the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office.

Region 6 police director, Isagani Cuevas, said 41 firearms, 10 bladed weapons and a fragmentation grenade were recovered from those arrested and who have been charged in violation of the Comelec gun ban.

While NOPPO arrested 19, the Bacolod City Police Office also apprehended seven more, police records also showed.

In Bacolod City yesterday, Station 1 policemen apprehended a teenager after a brief chase for violating the COMELEC gun ban at about 12:50 p.m. yesterday in Brgy. 16.

Police identified the person arrested as Adriano Tornilla, 19, of Purok Adarna, Brgy. 16, who is now detained at Police Station 1.

The team led by Police Officer 2 Joshua Barile seized an improvised shotgun or “sulpak” with a 12-guage shotgun and a plastic bottle containing suspected rugby from a teenager.

Cuevas said there will be no let-up in the conduct of checkpoints and police visibility, to monitor and arrest gun ban violators. “We want to deter violence as we come close to the May 10 national and local election,” he added.

PNP chief Jesus Verzosa said police commanders will be held responsible for subordinates violating the election gun ban.

The more than 500 arrested gun ban violators, 40 are policemen and 25 others are military personnel, police records also showed.

Verzosa said he ordered regional police directors to relieve from their posts all personnel arrested for gun ban violation and reassign them to the Regional Special Training Unit to undergo a 30-day Character and Aptitude Development Training.

As law enforcers, police personnel are expected to be the first to uphold respect for the law and not to violate it. It is therefore unacceptable for law enforcers to become law breakers, he added.

He added that administrative sanctions will be meted to police commanders for failure to exercise proper supervision over their subordinates.

Verzosa also ordered the PNP Internal Affairs Service to resolve the cases involving policemen within 30 days from the time of their arrest for gun ban violations until the determination of appropriate sanctions against them.

NOPPO also reported having arrested four gun ban violators in Negros Occidental on Jan. 31 and February 1.

Arrested were Mark Ian Aligen, 22, Ronald Merhamen, 39, Joel Rallos, 27, and Jajie Abellar.

Chief Inspector Rico Santotome of the NOPPO said the arrest of four suspects yielded a caliber .22 revolver, two caliber 45 pistols and a .38 caliber revolver.*GPB/APN

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Uphold SOPs in
providing aid: PNP

The Police Regional Office 6 yesterday reminded its personnel about the guidelines in providing police assistance in the enforcement of court orders in civil cases, and those from other government agencies in the exercise of their quasi-judicial functions.

Chief Supt. Isagani Cuevas, regional police director, cited the PNP Standard Operating Procedure No. ODO-2008-01, which requires that all requests for police assistance must be in writing and signed by the requesting party, or duly authorized representative.

In a statement he issued, Cuevas said the operational support unit of the PNP or Police Regional Offices, which has jurisdiction over the area, could provide assistance, with the recommendation of the Chief of the PNP.

He added that the request of quasi-judicial bodies like the Securities and Exchange Commission and the National Labor Relations Commission shall be submitted to the Office of the Chief PNP, regardless of the place where the police assistance is needed.

“Police commanders must adhere to these requirements to avoid controversies in giving police assistance,” he added.*GPB

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4 apprehended
for pot session

Four persons, one of them a minor, were arrested by the Bacolod City Police Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group allegedly in the act of having a “pot session” at about 11 a.m. yesterday inside a residence in Brgy. 2 in the city.

Arrested were drivers Ramses Santillan, 22, of Purok Marapara, Brgy. Bata, and Daddy Boy Oberes, 27, of Hacienda San Francisco, Silay City, Negros Occidental, Assistant Task Group Commander, Insp. Joemarie Occeño, said.

Also arrested were Jomer Hinlo, 34, of Charito Heights Subdivision, Granada and a 16-year-old, whose name is being withheld by the DAILY STAR.

The suspects said they do not know who is the owner of the house where they were arrested.

Three sliced aluminum foils, two disposable lighters with improvised torch and empty plastic sachets, believed to have been used in the suspects’ pot session, were recovered by the CAIDSTOG operatives on top of the table, police record showed.

Occeño said they were on their way to implement a search warrant at the residence of Jonel Bonza, alias “Orig’, 30, of Purok Sigay, Brgy. 2, when they spotted the four having a pot session in the house.

Bonza was also arrested after he voluntarily surrendered six elongated plastic sachets containing suspected shabu, a small plastic sachet containing suspected the banned substance, three disposable lighters, and P1,000 in cash believed to be proceeds in selling shabu.

The suspects will be charged for violating Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Three suspects were also arrested by Cadiz City policemen for engaging in a pot session Sunday evening during the highlight of the Dinagsa festivities in the city.

Meanwhile, the Cadiz City policemen arrested three men for allegedly smoking suspected marijuana cigarets at Abelarde Street, Barangay Zone 3 in the city Sunday evening.

Cadiz City police head, Chief Insp. Noel Mana-ay, said those arrested were Edelhope Caseres, 29, and Geneser Embele, 22, both residents of BLISS Project in Barangay Daga and Jehru Elisan, 22, of Purok Mainuswagon, in Barangay Jerusalem, all of Cadiz City.

The policemen recovered three partially burnt marijuana dried leaves wrapped in a yellow pad.*APN

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2 Koreans victims
of theft, cops say

Two female Korean nationals sought police help Monday claiming that they were victims of snatching at about 11:30 a.m. Sunday at 17th-Lacson streets, Bacolod City, the police said yesterday.

Police identified the victims as Choi Mi Jung, and Hong Jo Youn, both 23, and temporarily residing at Phil-Korean dormitory at La Salle Avenue, Bacolod.

Jung and Youn told the police they were on their way to Akasya grill when an unidentified man suddenly grabbed their bags after slashing the straps, and fled.

Youn said her bag contained her digital camera valued at P18,000, her wallet containing P2,200, cosmetics worth P5,800 and P1,000, while Jung said her bag contained her cellular phone valued at P24,000, electric dictionary valued at P14,000 and 18-k gold necklace valued at P8,000.

Korean national Lee Fun Jung, 37, of I Love Philippines Academy said an unidentified man snatched her pouch while she was at 25th-Lacson Street.

Jung said her pouch contained P1,200 in cash, her driver’s license, bank and credit cards and her wallet with P2,000 in cash.

The cases were referred to the City Police Investigation and Detective Management Section Crime against Person.*APN

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