CALABARZON: CAVITE

80 loose firearms seized in Cavite

THE PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) collected 80 loose firearms and potential instruments of violence during its recent 10-day focused operations in Cavite. The illegal weapons include confiscated, seized, recovered and surrendered firearms with delinquent registration, and others confiscated from unauthorized individuals through search warrant, checkpoint and anti-crime operations. “All the firearms confiscated by the Cavite PPO (provincial police office) ran up to 80 firearms. Twenty-eight of them were the result of search warrant and in these… the most prominent personality involved is barangay captain Jaime Hembrador in Dasmariñas City for poking his firearms to his constituents,” said Police Regional Office 4A (Calabarzon) Director Chief Supt. Edward Caranza in a press briefing at Camp Crame on Monday. The 52 others, he said, were surrendered as a “result of our effort to right those who have failed to renew their firearms (licenses). For his part, PNP Director General Oscar D. Albayalde said, “By taking away these instruments of violence from the hands of unauthorized individuals and criminal elements, we are making proactive steps to mitigate the possibility of involvement of these firearms in criminal activity and election-related violence.” The election gun ban period, which also covers the suspension of issuance of gun licenses, started last Jan. 13 and will be in effect until June 12. —