Top Ilocos Norte town officials charged for illegal gun possession

LAOAG CITY – The mayor, vice mayor and former mayor of Pasuquin town in Ilocos Norte province are facing illegal gun possession charges following a Saturday morning (May 12) raids of their homes.

Armed with search warrants, the police found weapons at the houses of Mayor Ferdinand Aguinaldo, Vice Mayor Pedro Rex Aguinaldo and former mayor Peter Felix Aguinaldo.

Sought for comment, Mayor Aguinaldo said the weapons were gifts but did not offer any more details.

The police acted on reports that the officials, who are siblings, were storing weapons, said Senior Supt. Cesar Pasiwen, Ilocos Norte police director. “The Aguinaldo brothers were asked by the police to surrender their firearms but they did not comply,” said Pasiwen in a radio interview here.

At posting time, the police have not yet completed an inventory of the firearms and ammunition seized from the Aguinaldo brothers.

On the same day, the police also recovered weapons from a separate raid in the houses of Marcos Agudelo, village chief of Ngabangab, and of Loreto Menor and Reynante Faylano of Nagsanga village.