Jail visitor caught with firearm

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – A 55-year-old woman has been detained after allegedly being found with a firearm during her visit to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Barangay 3, San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, last Tuesday.

The name of the suspect has been withheld by the police.

Chief Inspector Felix Sariana, the acting district jail warden of San Carlos City District Jail, reported that the jail officers conducted a routine search on the visitor following standard operating procedures for visitation.

During the search, officers reportedly discovered a .22 caliber revolver loaded with five live rounds inside the woman’s sling bag, Sariana disclosed.

Upon finding the weapon, Sariana stated, the jail authorities promptly notified the police who took the suspect into custody.

The suspect was unable to produce any official documentation authorizing her to carry the firearm, according to police reports.

The woman refuted the accusation, suggesting that an unidentified individual seated next to her at a remittance center, where she was earlier, could have slipped the firearm into her bag without her knowledge.

The visit was intended for her husband’s birthday celebration at the jail where she was intercepted, Sariana mentioned.

In response, Human Rights Advocates Negros (HRAN) issued a statement denouncing the incident, which they believe is a new tactic to intimidate families of political prisoners.

HRAN identified the detainee as the spouse of a political prisoner and an active member of the National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW) and KAPATID, a support group for families and friends of political detainees. They claim the firearm was planted.

HRAN noted that her husband has been charged with illegal possession of firearms and explosives since a September 18, 2019 incident when he and others were halted at a checkpoint during an information campaign about the Escalante Massacre commemoration.

The group has demanded her release, along with all political prisoners, and the quashing of what they term “fabricated” charges.

Chief Inspector Sariana refuted any BJMP involvement with the weapon found, asserting that the bureau does not partake in illegal activities such as “planting” evidence on visitors. He emphasized that BJMP personnel adhere strictly to visitation SOPs for security purposes and uphold the law and proper procedure.