Policeman leaves firearm inside pension house

CEBU, Philippines - A policeman from Glan, Sarangani Province left behind his service firearm inside a pension house along Manalili Street, Barangay Santo Niño, Cebu City yesterday morning.

 Chief Insp. Andres Bayarcal, chief of Waterfront Police Station, identified the policeman as Police Officer 1 Dominic Licayan.

 In a television report, Licayan checked into the pension house along with a woman past 6 p.m. last Thursday.

One of the room boys said a firearm was still seen tucked at the policeman’s holster when they checked in.

When the policeman checked out around 10 a.m. yesterday, the room boy no longer noticed the gun on the holster of the policeman, who was sluggishly walking, apparently drunk.

The pension house management then called up the police to report about a .45 caliber pistol found by one of the room boys beneath the bed sheets.

Bayarcal said PO3 Jaime Aparri and PO1 Russel Hilig went to the place and recovered the gun, which was then turned over to the Waterfront Police Station.

Bayarcal said the policeman later went to their police station to claim the gun, presenting his identification card and other credentials that would prove his ownership of the gun.

 However, the gun was not handed over back to him because Bayarcal was not around.

 The police station submitted a report on the incident to Cebu City Police Office director Melvin Ramon Buenafe and turned over the gun to the CCPO Operations Branch, which would be the one to turn over the gun to Licayan.

 Bayarcal said the policeman was in the city to escort a Sarangani provincial board member who was conducting a research in Cebu.

 The police official further said they will not conduct any investigation against the policeman because there was no complainant.

Meanwhile, a policeman was under investigation for indiscriminately firing his service firearm to pacify his younger brother and his father who had a heated argument.

A policeman, whose name The FREEMAN is withholding pending the conduct of the investigation, has a rank of police officer 3 and is assigned to the Provincial Internal Affairs Service of the Cebu Provincial Police Office.

He reportedly fired a warning shot when he saw his younger brother about to stab his father during an altercation last Sunday.

The Provincial Investigation and Detective Management Branch will conduct the investigation.

Barili Police Station chief Marlon Gumabao said after the incident, they immediately turned over the policeman to the PIAS.

But Gumabao told The FREEMAN that he found no lapses in the act of the policeman.

“Bilang pulis instinct na talaga ‘yun in order to pacify the trouble para dili madayon ang pagdunggab,” he said, adding that it’s up to the PIDMB to make a further investigation. (FREEMAN)