POLICE yesterday raided four houses of Negros Oriental 3rd district Rep. Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves and seized firearms, ammunition and grenade.
Six men working for Teves were arrested.
The raids conducted by operatives of the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group under Brig. Gen. Romeo M. Caramat Jr. were based on search warrants issued by a local Regional Trial Court against Rep. Teves and several co-accused for violation of Republic Act 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulations Act of 2013, and RA 9516 or illegal possession of explosive.
Three suspects were arrested during a raid on Target 1, where two cal. .38 revolvers and a handheld radio were recovered.
Seized inside house 2 were one M-14 rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun, one cal. .45 semi-automatic pistol with four loaded magazines, and 12 live shotgun ammunition.
In the third house, recovered were one cal. .45 pistol, two cal. 40 Glock semi-automatic pistols, two cal. 40 magazines, one cal. .45 magazine with seven bullets, a hand grenade, a rifle scope, and 50 rounds of live cal. 40 ammunition.
One occupant of the 3rd house identified as Jose Gimarangan was arrested.
Recovered inside house 4 were one Glock pistol with several live ammunition while recovered inside Target 5 were one M4 automatic rifle, one Beretta pistol, two cal. 9mm pistols, two M-16 magazines with 50 rounds of cal. 5.56 live ammunition and at least 80 pieces of 9mm bullets.
The raided houses were located in Purok 4, Bgy. Poblacion in Basay, Negros Oriental.
Members of the CIDG Regional Field Unit 7 searched the target residences while officers from the PNP Special Action Force under Brig. Gen. Rudolph B. Dimas and the Army’s 11th Infantry Division secured the sites.
The records of the recovered firearms are still being verified by the PNP-CIDG with the PNP Firearms and Explosives Office.
The raids were conducted in the wake of the ongoing massive manhunt for the remaining suspects in the killing of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel R. Degamo and eight others last Saturday.
Last Tuesday, officers and men of the Bayawan City Police Station in Negros Oriental were relieved and replaced with new personnel from the Regional Mobile Force Battalion of the Police Regional Office 7.
Meanwhile, Vice President Sara Duterte called on all concerned law enforcement agencies to do their best to put an end to the alarming string of violence perpetrated against elected officials.
“Dapat po na may managot. Dapat may makulong. Dapat mahinto itong mga ganitong patayan,” she said.
The Vice President said the spate of violence leaves not only a trail of death but also establishes a chilling climate of fear among the people.
