LINGAYEN—“I don’t give a damn about these shotguns.”

This was the reaction of a visibly irked Governor Amado Espino Jr. to the continued protestation of Alaminos City Mayor Hernani Braganza over the provincial government’s program providing barangay chairmen with shotguns indiscriminately.

Espino also lashed at Braganza, the lone mayor to speak totally against the shotguns, for his belligerence.

“Please tell Mayor Braganza, daldal siya ng daldal, sabihin nyo, isoli na lang, tapos! “ the governor barked.

Braganza has questioned the shotgun distribution saying the peace and order situation in the province does not warrant such a program.

Espino, who personally distributed the shotguns to the first batch of recipients, said it took him long to approve the program because he first sought confirmation from the police that the kapitans, indeed, need the weapons to maintain peace and order as well as get an assurance from the police that the latter will maintain control over the firearms following distribution.

The shotguns are licensed to the provincial government and the kapitans are given merely a memorandum receipt for the custody of the shotguns. The local police are tasked to check on the use of the shotguns every two weeks.

Braganza highlighted the murder last year of Gabriel Bautista, a nurse from Alaminos City, who was allegedly gunned down by three former barangay chairmen using a handgun distributed to them two years ago by Rep. Arturo Celeste.

The city council of Alaminos, in support of Braganza, had passed a resolution directing the city’s barangay chairmen not to accept the shotguns and instead have these returned to the local police who are lacking in firearms.

Braganza warned last week that the L-300 Mitsubishi patrol van issued by the city government to the city’s barangay chairmen shall be recalled if those who accepted the shotguns would not return the firearms.

The mayor said he doesn’t want these vehicles to be used by shotgun-carrying barangay kapitans.

Of the 39 barangays in Alaminos City, 17 were earlier reported to have accepted the shotguns and defied the mayor’s and the city council’s resolution not to accept them. The same kapitans, however, have reportedly had a chage of heart and expressed desire to return the shotguns.

“The issue here is why are we arming civilians? Is the peace and order situation in Pangasinan bad?,” Braganza asked.

Nonetheless, Espino said as governor of the province, he will fight for the rights of the barangay chairmen, which means giving them the shotguns if they want it. #

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