LEGAZPI CITY — An incumbent village chief was arrested on Wednesday after police seized several firearms in his residence in Placer town in Masbate province.
Police arrested Dioscoro Dickyam Sy, chief of Barangay (village) Nagarao in response to information that the suspect was selling firearms, Police Maj. Maria Luisa Calubaquib, the Bicol police spokesperson, said Thursday.
Calubaquib said a police crack team swooped down on the suspect’s residence around 7 a.m. and recovered an M14 rifle and four caliber .45 handguns.
The suspect will face five counts of illegal possession of firearms and violation of the Commission on Elections gun ban.
The police are investigating whether the suspect is a gun runner or a member of a political armed group (PAG).
Calubaquib said in an interview that the Philippine National Police has on its watch list four PAGs operating in Bicol, two of which operate in Masbate, and two in Camarines Sur province.