ILOILO City – Policemen arrested the parish priest of Dumarao, Capiz after firing at a group of youngsters who parked their motorcycles in front of the church in Barangay Poblacion Ilaya.
The youngsters won’t press charges against Father Federico Lim but the police of Dumarao would – for illegal possession of firearm.
Police investigators found out that Lim’s gun license already expired.
Lim was arrested on Saturday, two days after a barangay tanod – Warlito Camillo of Barangay Jaguikican, Laua-an, Antique – became the first person to get caught in the Police Regional Office 6’s (PRO-6) “Tokhang Kontra Ginadumili-an nga Pusil” – a campaign against loose guns.
The shooting happened at around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday following a spat between Lim and 19-year-old Saren Jay Padernal of Barangay Bungsuan, Dumarao, said Chief Inspector Juvy Cordero, Dumarao police chief.
According to Cordero, Padernal parked his motorcycle in front of the church and this got Lim’s ire.
Padernal, a Grade 12 student, was with friends who also had motorcycles and did the same, too, added Cordero.
Lim told the youngsters to park their motorcycles elsewhere and pushed some of these away. He thus got jeered, said the police chief.
None from Padernal’s friends were hurt by the priest’s .45 pistol.
“The suspect admitted firing his gun but he said he had no intention to kill or hurt anybody,” said Cordero.
Lim surrendered his gun to the Dumarao police.
“We have to file a complaint for illegal possession of firearm against the priest because of his expired gun license,” said Cordero.
The Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act of 2002 defines a loose gun as “an unregistered firearm, an obliterated or altered firearm, firearm which has been lost or stolen, illegally manufactured firearms, registered firearms in the possession of an individual other than the licensee and those with revoked licenses in accordance with the rules and regulations.”
The PRO-6 launched the “Tokhang Kontra Ginadumili-an nga Pusil” early last week. There were an estimated 77,000 loose firearms in Western Visayas and 18,000 of these were in the possession of criminals such as guns-for-hire, according to Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao, regional police director.
He expressed concern that loose guns may be used during the 2019 midterm elections.
Bulalacao urged gun owners to better surrender to the police their unlicensed firearms to avoid trouble.
“Talagang aarestohin ka namin,” said Bulalacao./PN
