22 men arrested in police checkpoints

At least 22 people were arrested in the last two days for illegal possession of firearms and explosives and vote-buying in Cebu.

Almost half of the arrests were made in the 2nd and 3rd districts in the province’s northwest and in the 4th and 5th districts in north Cebu.

Police confiscated high powered guns,  grenades, ammunition, homemade guns, illegal drugs, and cash worth at least P100,000 from the suspects.

No election-related deaths  were reported.

Chief Supt. Marcelo Garbo, chief of the Police Regional Office 7, attributed the zero-casualty rate to the strict implementation of election laws and regulations.

In Naga City, south Cebu district,  Rudy Obando and Marjun Geraldez were arrested after they were caught with 40 sample ballots each stapled with P100.

1st, 2nd districts

In Carcar City, eight men armed with AK-47 assault rifles fired warning shots at a vehicle transporting six members of the Board of Election Inspectors and two military and police escorts  heading for their assigned precinct in barangay Guadalupe. The BEIs, together with their security escorts from the Philippine Navy and the PNP Public Safety Company fled on foot.

A  bandolier and ammunition were taken from the military escort, police said.

In the southern town of Santander, Arnel Porsadas, Arnel Estoque, Rican Valiente, and Glen Merlo, were caught with sample ballots with an envelope with P20,000 cash. (See separate story on page 2)

In Tuburan town, five men were arrested after police found high-powered firearms and illegal drugs in their Ford F-150 truck as they passed a checkpoint in barangay Daan Lungsod.

Police grew suspicious of the men after the driver yielded an expired driver’s license and the truck had an expired registration.

Among those arrested were Hepty Salon Relator, 50, of Jaro, Iloilo City; Michael Demonteverde de Castillo, 43, of Monfort, North Dumangas, Iloilo City; Roel Panes Casas, 37, of Agtabo, Passi City, Iloilo; Federico Mosqueda Acelar, 53, of Donas, Iloilo City; and Gilbert Defensor Lora, 43, of barangay Peta, Iloilo City.

Confiscated from the suspects were two KG 9 submachine guns, two .45 caliber pistols, a Tanfoglio 9mm pistol, four KG9 magazines, three .45 caliber magazines, a rifle grenade, two hand grenades, 36 M16 bullets, a medium pack of suspected shabu,  three small packs of suspected shabu, a small pack of suspected marijuana, disposable syringe, ball cap, four bonnets, assorted IDs, T-shirt printed with the name of mayoral candidate Rose Marie Suezo and her runningmate Daphne Lagon  of the One Cebu-United Nationalist Alliance (UNA).

When asked what they were doing in Cebu, the suspects said they were there to look for a job. The suspects were detained at the Tuburan police station.

3rd, 4th  districts

In Pinamungahan town, police arrested, Renerio Cabilin, 59, after he was caught with an unlicensed .38 caliber revolver with six bullets.

The habal-habal motorcycle Cabilin was riding was stopped at a checkpoint. The gun was found tucked in the waistband of his pants.

In the 4th  district, Cebu Provincial Police Chief Patrocinio Comendador said that  they were able to stop goons allegedly working for politicians from roaming around in the different towns a day before elections. /Christine Emily L. Pantaleon, Correspondent

Comendador attributed this to the several checkpoints set up in the different towns and barangays of the district.

However, in Daanbantayan town, police arrested Noel Arcenal, 51, of barangay Malbago in a checkpoint at 1:20 a.m. yesterday.

Arcenal was caught with a “paltik” .38 caliber revolver, five .38 caliber bullets and eight caliber .357 bullets.

In Sta. Fe town,  Jojo Sarvillo, 44, of Danao City was arrested after a resident called the police  and reported the presence of an armed man in the barangay Ocoy.

Police caught Sarvillo with an unlicensed .45 caliber pistol with six live bullets. The suspect was detained at the Sta. Fe Police Station.

In Danao City , two farmers were caught carrying a gun, cash and sample ballots.

Cesario Pastorte was caught with a .38 caliber revolver with six bullets and P160 cash while Danilo Montilla had  a .357 caliber  revolver with nine bullets.

Both men were detained at the Danao City Police Office detention center.

Meanwhile, three men were caught with sample ballots and cash.

Habal-habal driver Sonny Ibag and Ronnie Lumapas were caught with a sample ballots and P500 cash.

Ibag however denied being part of the group saying he was just asked by Montilla to bring him from barangay Pili to barangay Bayabas yesterday.

Danao Traffic enforcer Jubert Perez was carrying a sample ballot with P500 cash when he was accosted by police.

He claimed to have been wrongly arrested since he was just manning traffic in the area. /with Correspondent Fe Marie Dumaboc, CNU Intern Jesanie Lumagbas