- GILBERT BAYORAN
The Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office announced the enforcement of the gun ban in the province, following the assassination of Governor Roel Degamo.
The NORPPO said that all Permits To Carry Firearms Outside Residence (PTCFOR) were suspended starting March 10, until further notice.
It added that only members of the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, and other law enforcement agencies (LEAs), who are performing official duties and in agency-prescribed uniforms, will be allowed to carry firearms.
This also developed as operatives of the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group conducted simultaneous raids March 10 on several houses owned by 3rd District Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr., a political rival of the slain governor, in Negros Oriental.
Lt. Gen. Benedict Arevalo, commander of the AFP Visayas Command, said Friday that the CIDG operatives and other police units, who initiated the raids, were supported by Philippine Army soldiers.
A report from CIDG said that police initially recovered two 40mm pistols with ammunition, a caliber 45 pistol, and a rifle scope. The licenses for the guns recovered are now being verified by the PNP.
The operation was part of the CIDG’s Oplan Paglalansag Omega, or the campaign against the proliferation of loose firearms.
In a radio interview, Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos said that the search warrant covered five houses, although not all of them belong to Teves.
He claimed that Teves owns firearms with “spurious documents”.
In January, the gun licenses of Teves were revoked for lack of supporting documents. His close-in security escorts were also recalled by Camp Crame, as they did not come from the Police Security Protection Group.
Two Army brigades, supervising the five Army battalions stationed in Negros Island, are now assisting the NORPPO in the manhunt for the remaining suspects in the assassination of Degamo March 4 that also claimed eight other lives and injured more than a dozen more.
Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. also said Friday that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. issued verbal orders to create a joint task force, composed of two Army brigades, to step up and assist ongoing joint AFP-PNP operations, to suppress criminal activities and impunity in Negros Island.
Arevalo said that Viscom assured its full support to the PNP and the local government in stabilizing the peace and order situation in Negros Oriental.
AFP personnel have already been deployed to support the PNP in their law enforcement operations to apprehend the remaining suspects and bring them to justice, he said.
“In coordination with our PNP counterpart, checkpoints and security patrols are now ongoing, in order to prevent any incident of such nature from every happening again,” Arevalo added./GB
