TACLOBAN CITY- The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Eastern Visayas has raised an alarm on the proliferation of loose firearms with the 2016 elections drawing near.
On Tuesday, the CIDG team, led by Chief Inspector Teodulo Armada, arrested one Dennis Tanala, 41 and a resident of Barangay 1 and 4, this city, for possession and selling three caliber of pistol Colt M1911A to an asset of the police operative.
Tanala was arrested inside a McDonald’s outlet in the city selling the said firearms at P18,000 each to their asset, Armada said.
Also seized from the suspect were the marked money and six magazines for caliber 45 pistol.
According to their investigation, the suspect had a supplier identified as “Balding” who source the items from Danao in Cebu.
Last August 4, Tanala contacted the CIDG asset to sell the firearms at P18,000, a much lower price for an original Colt pistol which has a tag price of around P50,000.
They agreed to meet last August 11 at McDonald’s where the suspect was arrested at around 1:30 p.m.
He is now detained at the CIDG lock up cell as he faces charges on illegal possession of firearms and selling, both non-bailable offenses, under Republic Act 10591, or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunitions.
Tanala said that it was his first time to sell firearms as his income as a bus driver is not sufficient.
Armada said that they are now in heighten alert considering that these loose firearms may end up in the hands of politicians who could be maintaining their own armed groups.
The CIDG said that based on their intelligence information, certain politicians are the buyers of these loose firearms.
In the region, the province of Samar is being given attention considering on the presence of so-called private armed groups, allegedly maintained by certain local politicians.
Samar has always been placed under hot spot during elections time.
