Porsche-driving clerk stripped of gun license

The man with the hot temper and the hot wheels now stands to lose his hot guns.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Thursday revoked the gun licenses of a Porsche-driving customs clerk and his companion who were accused of beating up and shooting at a student in a traffic altercation along the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX).

Senior Supt. Raul Petrasanta, acting chief of the PNP Firearms and Explosives Office, said the licenses issued to Bureau of Customs (BOC) employee Paulino Elevado and businessman Florencio Bato were voided following an investigation of the Jan. 21 road rage incident.

Revoked were Elevado’s license for his .40-caliber Taurus pistol, which was confiscated during the incident, and Bato’s papers for his .45-caliber Sam Shooter, Petrasanta said.

“(Elevado) cannot reapply for a new license unless he is exonerated of the charges,” Petrasanta told reporters in Camp Crame.

Elevado and Bato allegedly mauled a 20-year-old student, who was then driving a Toyota Innova, during a traffic altercation, and then shot at the student’s vehicle as he drove off.

The incident was caught on security cameras on SLEx. Elevado and Bato face charges of frustrated murder and physical injuries.

After missing work on the days following the incident, Elevado surfaced and faced BOC chief Ruffy Biazon on Tuesday, denying he owned the Porsche. He claimed he was merely acting as an agent for its sale.

Unconvinced, Biazon ordered Elevado’s suspension pending a lifestyle check on the employee who supposedly receives a monthly salary of just around P9,000. Elevado was said to have driven a 2006 Porsche model which sells for P5 million.

Petrasanta said Elevado and Bato’s licenses were revoked effective Feb. 1.

PNP Director General Nicanor Bartolome also revoked their permit to carry firearms outside of their residence.

“It is PNP policy to cancel or suspend gun ownership privileges issued to licensed firearm holders involved in criminal cases especially when the gun is believed to have been used in the crime,” Bartolome said in a statement.