Only 19 PNP-issued guns recovered so far
URDANETA PNP’S MISSING 41 GUNS
THE Pangasinan Police Provincial Office (PPPO) confirmed that 19 of the 23 firearms recovered by the police in its search for the 41 firearms missing from the armory of the Urdaneta City last year were confirmed to be properties of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
This was the result of the laboratory examinations conducted on the recovered firearms that made it difficult to distinguish which belong to the PNP because of the defaced serial numbers.
This was bared on Thursday by P/Supt. Jackie Candelario, deputy police provincial director for operations, who was designated officer-in-charge at the Urdaneta City Police Station in a concurrent capacity replacing P/Supt. Marcellano Desamito Jr.
Candelario said Desamito was transferred temporarily to another post to ensure impartial and fair investigation of the case.
Candelario said he expects the 18 firearms still unaccounted for to be surrendered soon by those who bought these or to whom the firearms were pawned by rogue policemen.
In all, the missing firearms included 31 handguns with PNP markings and 10 other assorted handguns that were merely turned over by civilians to the Urdaneta City police in the past for safekeeping.
The National Police Commission noted the missing firearms in the station’s armory when it conducted an inventory late last year.
Nine personnel of the Urdaneta police, one of whom is a civilian employee, were already relieved from their posts and ordered to report to the Pangasinan PPO headquarters in Lingayen where they are restricted to quarters pending the completion of the investigation.
Candelario declined to say whether the persons who surrendered some of missing the firearms will be held liable. He said only the results of the investigation will determine it.
Meanwhile, Candelario also revealed that a policeman from Bayambang town is now in hot water after he was found to have pawned his service firearm to a businessman from Basista town.
He said the policeman, whom he declined to name, was traced as the owner of the handgun confiscated by the Basista police from a businessman who was charged for using it in indiscriminate firing two weeks ago that damaged some parked cars. (Leonardo Micua)
Share your Comments or Reactions
Powered by Facebook Comments
