Abra mayor, police chief held at checkpoint

La Trinidad, Benguet – The mayor and police chief of an Abra town and three police officers, two civilians and the mayor’s driver-bodyguards were held at a checkpoint in Bucay town, Abra for violation of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) gun ban.

Charges have been filed against Daguioman town mayor Sally Co Kue, Chief Inspector Sebastian Alcedo, SPO3 Roberto Alcantara and SPO2 Gilberto Claor, civilians Reinhard Quibayen and Salvador Tulio, and Kue’s driver-bodyguards.

SPO2 Alexander Baldos Aberilla of the Abra police headquarters said policemen led by Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) commander Inspector Jose Badilla Jr. and Bucay flagged down two vehicles on convoy enroute to Daguioman town at around 11:45 a.m. on Friday along an established PNP-Comelec checkpoint in Barangay Siblong in Bucay town.

They found out that the mayor, the police chief and his men, who were armed, were aboard the vehicles but the cops were in civilian clothes.

Cordillera police spokesman Superintendent Joseph Adnol said this is in clear violation of the Comelec gun ban.

Alcedo was armed with his issued firearm, a M16A1 rifle with six magazines with ammunition and one short firearm, a 9mm Beretta with one loaded ammunition magazine.

Alcantara was armed with a 9mm Beretta with one magazine with ammunition and SPO2 Claor was armed with his .9mm Beretta, with one magazine loaded with ammunition.

Policemen along the checkpoint also found one gauge 12 shotgun (Karajay Taktic) without ammunition and a 9mm submachine gun with three magazines and 36 live ammunition for a 9mm at the mini dumptruck.

Although investigation is still ongoing, Adnol said the town police chief and his men will undergo summary proceedings for the violations, while the mayor and his driver-bodyguards will be criminally charged for violating the gun ban.

On Thursday, Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos, who visited the province with PNP chief Oscar Calderon, voided all permits to carry firearms licenses amid the continuing problem of loose firearms and hired guns in the province.

The Comelec has placed Abra under its direct control and Abalos has taken over the post of Commissioner Romeo Brawner, who was earlier tasked to oversee Abra.

Abra has been under Comelec control since February after the province was rocked with a series of political killings and the December 2006 assassination of Rep. Luis Bersamin.

A PNP briefing paper tagged at least five Abra mayors who are maintaining private armed groups and five other gun-for-hire groups. Police estimate by number of goons in the province to be at least 127.