STO. DOMINGO, Nueva Ecija – Three persons were arrested after yielding six high-powered firearms in a checkpoint in Barangay Santo Rosario here over the weekend, police reported on Monday.
Senior Supt. Ricardo Marquez, Nueva Ecija police director, said the suspects, identified as Douglas Javier,47; Michael Guiriban,30; both of Baragay Sta. Rita, Quezon here and Bernardo Carpio,30, of Calibangbangan, Cabanatuan City, were arrested at about 11:00 p.m. on Oct. 31 by elements of the 307th provincial mobile group.
The suspects yielded one M14 Armalite rifle, one AK 47 and two cal. 45 pistol, a radio transceiver tuned to the police frequency and a bullet proof vest jacket. Also recovered, police said, from the suspects were 145 rounds of bullets and seven magazines for M14, 143 rounds and five magazines for AK 47, 25 rounds of bullets and three magazines for cal. 45 pistol.
When accosted, the suspects were riding a Honda CRV reportedly owned by a barangay captain in Sto. Domingo town.
Supt. Edgar Allan Okubo, head of the 307th PMG, said they were conducting a round the clock checkpoint when they arrested the suspects.
Javier, it turned out, has a pending warrant of arrest for alleged frustrated murder of a certain Barangay Capt. Teodoro of Licab, Nueva Ecija.
Marquez would not name the supposed target of the suspects but said the operation was hatched upon a call for assistance of an individual. The call for assistance, Marquez said, prompted him to ask Okubo to conduct a 24-hour checkpoint as part of the security scheme.
Charges of violation of Presidential Decree 1866 were filed against the suspects before the provincial prosecutor’s office.
