MANILA, Philippines - Presidential Adviser for Political Affairs Ronald Llamas yesterday rectified reports that charges of illegal possession of firearms and obstruction of justice are being readied against him by the Philippine National Police (PNP).
Llamas pointed out that he could not be criminally held liable for unlawful possession of the AK-47 mainly because the PNP declared it as duly licensed.
He added that he could not be charged for obstruction of justice, borne out of his cooperation with the PNP investigation.
“It mistakenly stated that the PNP is preparing to file a charge of illegal possession of firearms against me. This is incorrect,” Llamas said.
Llamas pointed out he was in Switzerland when the incident occurred and his high-powered firearm was seized.
“As repeatedly emphasized by PNP chief (Deputy Director) Nicanor Bartolome in public pronouncements over the past few days, the firearm seen in my vehicle was duly licensed under the regular process of the PNP,” he emphasized.
“There is nothing illegal in my ownership or possession of it. I am fully cooperating with the PNP investigation as the police have already attested,” he said.
Llamas lamented he was “utterly (given a) mistaken impression that I have somehow incurred legal liability.”
A statement from the Office of Political Affairs (OPA) also defended their boss.
“Secretary Llamas has not violated any laws, it his is staff that are presently under investigation, PNP chief Bartolome said over the radio,” OPA said.
The individuals under investigation are Llamas’ aides Joey Tecson and John Alarcon, who were found in possession of Llamas’ duly licensed firearm, making them criminally liable for illegal possession of firearms and obstruction of justice.
This developed as the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) yesterday filed charges of illegal possession of firearm against Llamas’ staff.
Chief Inspector Rodel Marcelo, head of the QCPD’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit said the charges stemmed from their unauthorized possession of Llamas’ rifle.
“The AK-47’s permit was applicable only to Secretary Llamas and not to them,” Marcelo said.
Those charged were Tecson, driver of the Mitsubishi Montero that figured in the accident; bodyguard Alarcon, who was with Tecson; Reagan Lita, driver of the Hyundai Starex which arrived on the scene to retrieve the gun; and Michael Dechavez, who was with Lita.
Tecson and Alarcon figured in a traffic accident on Oct. 7 in Quezon City with an Isuzu Elf truck during which video footage showed the gun tucked underneath a seat of the SUV.
Lita and Dechavez were seen arriving onboard the Hyundai Starex van to remove the rifle from the damaged SUV before the police arrived.
Earlier, the PNP revoked Llamas’s permit to carry firearm outside of residence (PTCFOR), but its license is still valid. On Thursday, Llamas surrendered the firearm, a Czech-made CZ 858, not a Russian type AK-47 as earlier reported. The gun uses a similar type of ammunition but technically different from the AK-47.
A PTCFOR is entirely different from a gun license. A PTCFOR allows a gun owner to carry it almost anywhere while a gun license limits the firearm to residences only.
A gun license is valid for two years while PTCFOR expires every year. A gun owner without PTCFOR cannot carry his firearm outside of his place of residence, otherwise, he will be held criminally liable.
Marcelo said they would have custody of the rifle pending the preliminary investigation on the charges of illegal possession of the firearm.
Still armed
He may have lost his permit to carry his rifle, but Llamas is still armed to the teeth.
Llamas, whom critics have labeled as “Rambo,” told ABS-CBN yesterday that he now carries with him his “short firearms.”
“I have permits to carry for my short firearms. The Philippine National Police have also sent me some bodyguards,” he said.
His interviewer did not ask him how many handguns he brings outside his residence. Llamas previously told the same TV network that he has two rifles – an AK-47 and an M-16 – and three short firearms.
PNP chief Bartolome has announced that he has “ordered the revocation” of the permit the PNP issued to Llamas to carry his AK-47 outside his residence.
It is not clear why Bartolome ordered the revocation when he himself could cancel it. It is only the PNP chief who is authorized to sign a PTCFOR.
Llamas said since he has made his rifle available to Quezon City police investigators as evidence against his former personnel, the PNP has “temporarily” revoked the PTCFOR for his rifle.
“But I hope to recover my rifle and my permit,” he said.
Llamas clarified that his license for the rifle has not been revoked.
Administration critics support the filing of illegal possession of a weapon charges against Llamas’ employees since they unlawfully carried his assault rifle.
But they said Llamas couldn’t escape some criminal liability since he was the owner of the rifle.
At the very least, critics said Llamas was an irresponsible gun licensee and PTCFOR holder, a violation that should prompt PNP chief Bartolome to cancel all his firearms licenses and permits to carry.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson, for his part, is pushing for the amendments of the Firearms Code in a bid to make it more responsive to the present times following the controversy surrounding the high-powered firearm owned by Llamas.
Lacson filed Senate Bill 2993 seeking to amend the Firearms Code, also known as the Presidential Decree 1866, because it has become “obsolete.”
“There is a need to overhaul it in order to be more responsive. The number of privately owned firearms is increasing as the perception that the PNP is failing in its mandate of securing the citizenry is likewise increasing. The same is true when it comes to the number of loose firearms and number of firearms whose licenses were never renewed by their owners,” Lacson said.
Lacson wanted the PTCFOR issued only by the PNP chief to any qualified person “whose life is under actual treat or their lives are in imminent danger due to the nature of their profession, occupation, or business.”
Lacson said the applicant should prove that his life is under actual threat by submitting a treat assessment certificate from the PNP.
Lacson, a former PNP chief, also proposed that all firearms owned by the national government should be registered with the Firearms and Explosives Office of the PNP. – With Reinir Padua, Jess Diaz, Christina Mendez