ILOILO – The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) on Tuesday denied allegations of abduction after two Monday night operations in Pavia town triggered public alarm and confusion, insisting both were legitimate buy-bust operations targeting loose firearms.
Police Lieutenant Job Lujan, assistant chief of the CIDG Iloilo Provincial Field Unit, said the first incident in Barangay Cabugao Sur, Pavia at around 7:30 p.m. on February 23 was part of “Oplan Paglalansag Omega,” an intensified drive against loose firearms.
“That was a legitimate buy-bust operation,” Lujan said, referring to the operation targeting a suspect identified as Mark Alarcon, a village resident.
According to Lujan, operatives identified themselves as police officers while approaching the suspect, who was riding a bicycle, but a struggle followed when the suspect allegedly resisted arrest.
“When our operatives declared that they were police officers, a struggle followed. It may have been a defense mechanism on the part of our personnel to preempt the suspect from grabbing the firearm. During the scuffle, there was an accidental discharge of the service firearm,” he said.
He clarified that no one was hit during the incident.
“There were scratches and head wounds due to the struggle. When it became uncontrollable, there was an accidental firing by our operative. No one was hit; the bullet did not strike anyone,” Lujan added.
The CIDG claimed it recovered from Alarcon a caliber .38 revolver, a marked P100 bill used as buy-bust money, and a green plastic bag where the firearm was placed.
But it was only later that the suspect was brought to the Pavia Municipal Police Station for blotter documentation, leaving witnesses to the incidents to express fear that what happened was an abduction.
Lujan explained that the suspect was immediately transported from the scene of the incident due to security concerns, as multiple operations were being conducted simultaneously in Barangay Ungka and Barangay Tigum, also in Pavia.
Alarcon faces charges for violation of Republic Act No. 10591, or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.
In a brief encounter with journalists at the police station yesterday, Alarcon issued a terse statement directed to his family: “Sorry gid sa problema nga ginhatag.”
He neither confirmed nor denied the allegations of the CIDG.
“We had two operations in separate areas — Ungka and Tigum — so for security reasons, we immediately secured and brought him out of the area. In firearms cases, the actual inventory does not necessarily have to be conducted at the exact place of arrest, unlike in drug operations or search warrants,” explained Lujan.
Concerns were also raised that the CIDG did not coordinate with the Pavia police, but Lujan belied this.
He said the CIDG coordinated with the Pavia Police Station prior to the operation and that the suspect had been under surveillance based on intelligence reports linking him to the sale of loose firearms.
The suspect had also previously been apprehended for drug-related charges, Lujan added.
“There was no shooting incident in the sense of an armed encounter, and at the same time, I would like to clarify that there was no abduction or kidnapping. It was a legitimate operation of the CIDG conducted with coordination with the local police,” Lujan stressed.
About 15 minutes later, a separate incident involving 29-year-old Gene Stephanie Guillem, also known as “Nene,” sparked further controversy after she was reportedly taken by a man who identified himself as a police officer near the plaza of Pavia.
Lujan said Guillem was also the subject of a firearms operation based on information from a confidential agent who claimed she was selling illegal firearms.
“Our operatives expected that there was an actual selling of a firearm. However, during the actual scenario, Guillem did not possess any firearm,” he said.
He said Guillem reacted emotionally when approached.
“When she saw the operatives and they introduced themselves as police officers, she reacted sentimentally. Instead of just talking to the police, there was a struggle,” Lujan said.
However, no firearm was recovered from Guillem.
“We only discovered during the initial investigation at the CIDG office that she did not possess any firearm. It turned out that the supposed transaction was just a joke,” he said.
Guillem was later released due to lack of evidence and humanitarian considerations.
“She was released because we had no recovery. We also considered her appeal that she has five children and is the family’s breadwinner,” Lujan said, adding that authorities could not detain her without evidence.
Lujan clarified that CIDG monitoring showed Guillem had no known involvement in the sale of loose firearms and that the operation was based solely on information from a confidential informant.
Earlier, the Police Regional Office 6 described Guillem’s case as a “love quarrel” and not an abduction, saying the altercation stemmed from a misunderstanding between her and her former boyfriend.
PRO-6 said Guillem went to the police station at around 8:30 a.m. on February 24 to clarify the issue and stated that the Monday night incident involving her was not a criminal abduction.
The regional police office reiterated its commitment to transparency, assuring the public that all incidents are being properly investigated and that public safety remains a priority./PN
