Raid on ex-councilor’s house yields guns, ammo
ORMOC CITY — Operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Region 8 Tuesday morning raided the house of a former councilor of Albuera town in Leyte, and yielded positive for firearms and ammunition.
The raid was conducted at the house of 46-year-old Sergio Batistis, a resident of Barangay Mahayahay in Albuera who has gained notoriety in recent years for alleged swindling that caused his dismissal from service as town councilor.
The CIDG agents found and seized the following: A Colt M-16 rifle (with serial number 9005695), one Ingram M2 cal. 9mm (with serial number 349286), 26 live ammo for cal. 5.56, two magazine assemblies for M-16, one steel magazine for Ingram, and four live ammo for cal. 45.
Baybay City Regional Trial Court executive judge Carlos O. Arguelles issued the search warrant, dated February 15, 2016.
Police Officer 2 Jerry Tuando, investigator of the Albuera Police, said the CIDG brought Batistis to Tacloban City for processing and inquest.
The former councilor first gained notoriety in 2015 when he was entrapped by the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine Councilors League (PCL) in Davao City for allegedly selling fake receipts and registration to fellow councilors. He now faces a criminal case there for swindling.
He resigned from his post, but was still dismissed from service and perpetually barred from public office by the Ombudsman.