Gun exhibits vs Isabela mayor lost in fiscal's custody

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines  – Several firearms for exhibits in the illegal gun charges against an Isabela mayor were found missing while in the custody of the local prosecutor’s office last week amid pending motions by the mayor’s counsel to be allowed to examine them.

Missing were four rifle grenades, a 9mm pistol and an M16 armalite rifle which were being used as evidences in the case for violation of Republic Act 8294 or illegal possession of firearms and explosives filed against Gamu Mayor Fernando Cumigad.

The Isabela prosecutor’s records and custodial office discovered the firearms’ disappearance about 1 a.m. on Aug. 26, a day after Cumigad’s camp reportedly filed a motion to verify their existence.

Isabela Chief Prosecutor Anthony Foz could not be immediately reached for comment.

The case filed against Cumigad and one Laurence Fer­nandez, his bodyguard, resulted from a raid by police operatives on his residence in Gamu town a day before the May elections, which yielded the said firearms.

Cumigad, a close ally of then governor Grace Padaca, said that firearms were all licensed at the time of the raid. He described the raid as political harassment.

Reports showed that the steel cabinet where the guns were kept had shown no signs of being forced open but the cabinet could also be easily opened without the use of its key.

In a subsequent interview with Cumigad showed that some employees at the prosecutor’s office could also be behind in taking out the firearms.

“Everytime I ask to see the evidence, some of my guns are missing. Then, the next day, they are back again. Authorities had promised to return said firearms after I proved to them that they were duly licensed but they still continued the case,” Cumigad lamented.

Police declined to comment on the missing firearms, saying they were still investigating the case.

“Investigations are still ongoing on the case,” said Chief Inspector Roberto Bucad, information officer of the Isabela police office.

Aside from the firearms case against Cumigad, he and five others, including his daughter Mitzi and brother Luisito are also facing murder cases for the death of the daughter of a political rival, then Gamu councilor Manuel Morillo, in an ambush in 2005.