Rep. Garin, Mayor Garin surrender 14 guns to PNP
Iloilo Representative Richard Garin and his father, Guimbal town Mayor Oscar Garin Sr., surrendered their firearms to the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Friday after their gun licenses and permits were ordered cancelled, a ranking police official said.
A report from Chief Su-
perintendent John Bulalacao, regional director of the Western Visayas Police Regional Office, said the younger Garin surrendered to Iloilo PNP nine of his 11 firearms — eight of which have expired licenses, while the elder Garin turned over five of his eights guns with expired licenses. Police said one of Rep. Garin’s firearms is a sub-machine gun.
The surrender was made after PNP chief Director General Oscar Albayalde said the Garins might end up in jail should they refuse to surrender their firearms.
“They have expired licenses and if they fail to surrender that, they can be subjected to a search warrant,” Albayalde said early Friday in Bocaue, Bulacan.
Carrying an unlicensed firearm is a violation of Republic Act 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.
Albayalde had earlier ordered the cancellation of all Permits to Carry Firearms Outside of Residence (PTCFOR) and License to Own and Possess Firearms (LTOPF) of the Garins after they allegedly a mauled a police officer.
Under Section 39 of RA 10591, the PNP Chief or his authorized representative may revoke, cancel, or suspend a firearms license or permit on the grounds of a commission of a crime or offense involving a gun.
The Garins are respondents in a criminal complaint filed by Police Officer 3 Federico Macaya, assigned to Guimbal Police Station, for assault upon an agent of a person in authority, alarm and scandal, grave coercion, and grave threats.
A police report reaching the office of Albayalde stated that the Garins allegedly handcuffed, slapped, spit on, and threatened at gunpoint PO3 Macaya last December 26, outside the Guimbal Municipal Hall.
The issue stemmed from a brawl between two minors last December 22 at a plaza in Guimbal town. PO3 Macaya handles the investigation of the case.
As it turned out, the brawl victim opted not to file a case against the suspect out of fear that the parents, both overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), might learn about the incident.
But according to Rep. Garin, he got upset with PO3 Macaya because the cop allegedly convinced the minor victim not to file a case for physical injury, an accusation denied by Macaya.
Reportedly, the suspect is a son of a political enemy of the Garins in Guimbal town.
Rep. Garin has already apologized to the PNP, saying his action was a result of his frustration on PO3 Macaya’s “disservice to the people of Guimbal” and not directed at the police organization as an institution.
Security detail
Meanwhile, Albayalde also said that all organic policemen assigned as a security detail to the Garins have already been pulled out.
“All of their security detail were organic policemen, no one is assigned to the PSPG [Police Security and Protection Group.] But immediately after knowing the incident, I ordered the regional director [Western Visayas police's Chief Supt. John Bulalacao] to pull out all of the cops assigned in his security detail,” he said.
“I cannot, in conscience, let this abuse and oppression pass without justice,” he added.