POLITICAL HARASSMENT: Mayoralty bet nabbed for keeping ammos, defective guns

By: Jennifer P. Rendon and Francis Allan L. Angelo

AN INCUMBENT town councilor running for mayor of Calinog, Iloilo was arrested in a firearm raid.

But the camp of Sangguniang Bayan member and mayoralty bet Francisco Calvo, 48, labeled the raid a form of political harassment perpetuated by his political rivals.

Calvo was collared following a police search at around 11:30 p.m. on Feb. 4, 2019 at his house in St. Vincent Subdivision, Barangay Libot, Calinog.

Police recovered the following:

• a caliber .45 pistol (Para-Ordnance) with serial number FC797728;
• an M-16 Elisco rifle with serial number RP 114964;
• 24 pieces of ammunition and 20 empty shells for caliber .45 ammos;
• 30 pieces of ammunition and 3 long and 1 short magazines of an M16 rifle;
• a defective caliber .22 long-barreled rifle (Squib Man) with serial number 19717; and
• a defective caliber .25 pistol.

Joint elements of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office-Provincial Intelligence Branch (IPPO-PIB) and Calinog Police Station carried out the operation against Calvo.

Chief Inspector Jose Nemias Pamplona, Calinog police chief, said Calvo offered no resistance and even allowed other parts of his house and car to be searched, even if these were not covered by the search warrant.

Calvo, who is into quarry business, presented valid licenses for the M16 rifle and caliber .45 pistol.

The guns were brought to the police station for documentation but were subsequently returned to Calvo after validation.

Calvo said the caliber .25 pistol belonged to his father-in-law.

Despite being defective, Calvo kept the gun because of its sentimental value to his in-law.

On the other hand, the caliber .22 rifle belonged to a friend who already passed away. Already defective, Calvo’s friend failed to retrieve it before his death.

Police would still file charges against Calvo for violation of Republic Act 10591 (Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act).

 

NO POLITICS

Police brushed aside Calvo’s claim that politics is behind the raid.

Senior Superintendent Marlon Tayaba, Iloilo police director, said they acted on reports they receive.

“I don’t know and I don’t care about his political affiliation. We only received a report that he’s illegally discharging his firearm every time he has a party at his house,” he said.

But Calinog police reports did not reflect any complaint against Calvo for illegal gun discharge or causing alarm and scandal in their community.

Hours before the raid at Calvo’s abode, the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) vowed to run after owners of loose firearms.

Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao, Western Visayas police chief, made the announcement during the demilitarization of loose firearms.