Comelec worker as gun-ban violator nabbed by police

Chito Dela Torre

Of all the good things you would have wanted very much to get from the recent news, you would  love most this one.  It’s about this frenzy by the Comelec-deputized police to rid all streets and public places of gun-toting men and women and arresting gun-ban violators.  Yes, it is the Commission on Elections that does feverishly want all guns born  or  carried outside of homes confiscated and violators incarcerated.  The Comelec’s campaign, thru PNP, is gaining ground and momentum.  In fact it has already been a notable success until mid-January this year.  But here’s the twist.  Only last Wednesday of last week, it was an employee of the Comelec whom the Philippine National Police found out to have violate the Comelec’s gun ban.  SIGE KARAGTATAWA KITA!

According to the office of regional director ELMER RAGADIO SORIA, police chief superintendent of Region VIII, the Comelec employee whom the police collared was  Pedro Sugalan y Orosco, alias Peter, 46, married,  only a utility worker at that!!!  -SUSMARYUSEP!!! – of the Comelec Samar Provincial Office, and a native of Brgy Paypayon, Oras, Eastern Samar.  With the arrest, RD Soria said: “We have to enforce the law without favor even if the violator is connected with the office mandating us to implement such rule.”  Nicely put.  TAMA GAD LA LIWAT!!

The PNP said that reports reaching PRO8 disclosed that at around 11:10 o’clock Wednesday evening, an information was relayed to Catbalogan City Police Station on alleged gun burst heard at the vicinity of COMELEC Samar Provincial Office located at Old Justice Building along Curry Ave., Brgy. 7, Catbalogan City.   A police team was immediately dispatched to the area to validate the veracity  of  the  report  that  resulted  to  the arrest of Sugalan and the confiscation of one caliber .25 pistol marked Phoenix Arms Ontario model HP25 bearing serial number 4163916 with firearm license  number 117362212282750 with  one magazine  loaded with 6 live  ammunition; one inside  holster and 2  fired cartridge of .25 caliber.

Suspect was immediately brought to Catbalogan City Police Station for proper disposition and  subsequently brought  to Samar Provincial Hospital  for medical examination  and Samar Provincial Crime  Laboratory Office  for  paraffin  test while the confiscated firearm  and  ammunition  was subjected for  ballistic  examination  and  gun residue test. According to PNP RD Soria, a case for violation of section 32 of Republic Act 7166 in relation to COMELEC Resolution Number 9561-A was already filed against Sugalan at the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor in Catbalogan City.  The case was docketed as NPS-VIII-08-INQ-13B-00361 on February 7, 2013.   Suspect was immediately released after paying the recommended bailbond in the amount of P12, 000.00.

That utility worker (hadto, janitor or helper la an tawag han item hinto nga posisyon ha gobyerno) could have raised speculations with the circumstance in which he had a gun with him.  Why should a janitor or helper be armed with a gun?  Is he a very special intelligence agent authorized by any intelligence agency or by Comelec to acquire, possess and use a gun, whether or not outside of the Comelec gun ban period?  Delikado ine nga tawo.  Kun baga daw la, angay diri ginpapagpiyansa, 12 mil pesos pa gud nga piyansa.  Atara!!!  Pero, anay daw, bangin la liwat nagdo-double character hiya, also as security guard, huhummmmm!  Kun doble kara, ada, doble suweldo, may bayad ha iya serbisyo komo utility worker, may bayad liwat komo security guard.  But, we couldn’t be sure.  The PNP report did not give more details.

RD Soria pointed out that under Section 32 of RA 7166, during the election period, no person shall bear, carry or transport firearms or other deadly weapons in public places, including any building, street, park, private vehicle or public conveyance, even if licensed to possess or carry the same, unless authorized in writing by the Commission on Elections. The issuance of firearms licenses shall be suspended during the election period.  The law further states that only regular members or officers of the Philippine National Police, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and other enforcement agencies of the Government who are duly deputized in writing by the Commission for election duty may be authorized to carry and possess firearms during the election period. Provided, that, when in the possession of firearms, the deputized law enforcement officer must be in full uniform showing clearly and legibly his name, rank and serial number which shall remain visible at all times; and in the actual performance of his election duty in the specific area designated by the Commission.

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CHIZ IN TIE FOR TOP SPOT IN PULSE ASIA SURVEY:  Independent candidate Senator Chiz Escudero was in a statistical tie for the number one spot in the latest survey of senatorial candidates by pollster Pulse Asia.   Nationalist People’s Coalition candidate Loren Legarda garnered a rating of 58 percent while Escudero came in with 54.3 percent. With a margin of error of +/- two percentage points, the two reelectionists were in a statistical tie for number one.  The survey was conducted last January 19 to 30.

“I am happy and humbled by the continued confidence by the people, but what is important is that public servants seeking the people’s vote like me continue to work to prove that we are worthy of the positions entrusted to us,” Escudero said.
The latest Pulse Asia poll showed that behind Legarda and Escudero were Team Pinoy’s Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano at third with 48.9 percent, while United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) bets Nancy Binay, 43.6 percent, and San Juan City Rep. JV Ejercito were tied for fourth and fifth places.  Other candidates who came out in the Magic 12 were Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, 41.1 percent; Sen. Aquilino Pimentel, 40.7 percent; UNA’s Cagayan Representative Juan Ponce Enrile Jr., 40.4 percent; and former Las Piñas Representative Cynthia Villar, 39.1 percent.  Completing the list for the magic 12 are UNA’s Sen. Migz Zubiri, 37.6 percent, Aurora Province Rep. Edgardo Angara of Team Pinoy, 37.1 percent; and Sen. Gringo Honasan, 36.8 percent.  Pulse Asia noted the close difference in the numbers among the candidates ranked from fourth to twelfth places.  Statistically tied for 13th to 16th places are Team Pinoy’s Bam Aquino, Independent Grace Poe and UNA’s Dick Gordon.  Pulse Asia said the survey also showed that with less than four months to go before the May 2013 elections, only about a third of the respondents, or 34 percent, has a complete senatorial slate with most having a definite eight candidates in their list of preferred senators.

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WARNING TO QN’S CELFON CALLERS AND TEXTERS:  Don’t call or text me at my old and usual regular number at 09159134271.  I lost my Samsung celfon, together with its installed SIM card and memory card at noontime of February 11, 2013 inside a white passenger van which I took.  The phone fell off my right hand when so suddenly deep sleep took away my consciousness inside that van.  I realized I forgot about it when I disembarked from that car.  Thanks a million for anyone who can return that to me, at the municipal office of the Department of Agrarian Reform, at first floor Espina Bldg., in Basey, Samar.  Well, if the whole property can’t be returned, then perhaps, the finder-keeper can just deliver to anyone at this DAR office the SIM card and memory card.  If you may, I will just have the contents of these two cards transferred to another celfon, and then give both cards back to the finder-keeper so that that finder-keeper can make full use of that property.  An sulod la han SIM card (inbox messages and outgoing or sent messages) ngan an tanan nga video and photo shots ha  memory card asya la an pinaka-importante ha akon.  Thus, I pray and request that both cards be returned.  Thanks a million, I say again.  I am requesting the Basey police to help locate these cards.  I think they will manage.

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‘On one of the long corridors of Harvard University are carved in granite the words of Archibald Macleish:  “How shall freedom be defended? By arms when it is attacked by arms; by truth when it is attacked by lies; by democratic faith when it is attacked by authoritarian dogma. Always, and in the final act, by determination and faith.”’ – Senator Benigno “Ninoy” S. Aquino, Jr., part of his undelivered speech prepared by him for his arrival speech  on August 1, 1983

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Posted by lsde on Feb 14 2013. Filed under Opinion, Quidnunc's Neighbor. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.