ABRA GUNS Chief Supt. Benjamin Magalong, Cordillera police director, displays the weapons surrendered by politicians in Abra, one of the “areas of concern” declared by the Commission on Elections for their history of election violence. The guns will be muzzled and kept at Camp Juan Villamor in the provincial capital of Bangued as the Comelec imposes a gun ban during the midterm elections. RICHARD BALONGLONG/INQUIRER NORTHERN LUZON
45 guns for safekeeping (meaning owners will take it back after the gun ban). 134 muzzled (sealed with masking tape and returned back to the owners)..HUH? WHAT? REALLY?
———–
BANGUED, Abra—On the eve of the election gun ban, politicians and their families in Abra surrendered 179 licensed firearms to the Philippine National Police for safekeeping and muzzling.
Chief Supt. Benjamin Magalong, Cordillera police director, on Saturday received an assortment of high-powered firearms, handguns and rifles at a ceremony at Camp Juan Villamor, the headquarters of the Abra police.
Gov. Eustaquio Bersamin, the mayors or their representatives from Abra’s 27 towns and village leaders trooped to the police camp at 8:30 a.m. to hand over their guns.
The PNP later in the afternoon knocked on the houses of politicians and residents, looking for concealed weapons.
Magalong said police records showed that 228 firearms had been registered in the province, notorious for a rise in political killings during elections.
Bersamin said relinquishing weapons to the police gave rival families peace of mind, confident they would be safe during the campaign if only authorities roam the province with weapons.
Most of the weapons, which police sealed with masking tape and an identification sticker signed by Abra police officials, were returned to their owners because the licensed owners have the right to use them if they needed to protect themselves, Magalong said.
Police said 45 firearms were taken for safekeeping, while 134 guns were muzzled and returned to local officials who owned them.
Among the guns muzzled were owned by top government officials, like Mayors Ryan Luna (Bangued), Robert Victor “JR” Seares Jr. (Dolores), Benido Bacuyag (Malibcong) and Placido Eduarte Jr. (Tayum) and
Governor Bersamin, said Senior Supt. Roberto Soriano, Abra police director.
The police will continue visiting other towns to seal the barrels of licensed guns in the next few days, Magalong said.
“This is a good gesture from our leaders who turned over their firearms for safekeeping. They showed their trust to the police, and they are confident now that they will be protected by the police,” he said. “There is now a level of maturity here.”
Luna, who turned over 17 firearms for safekeeping and muzzling, said he acquired these weapons after he survived an ambush in April 2012. “I turned over my guns because I want to support the government’s call for peaceful elections,” he said.
Luna and Bersamin were the first to turn over their guns, Magalong said.
Bersamin surrendered six guns for muzzling. The governor said the weapons were meant to protect him following the 2006 assassination of his brother, Abra Rep. Luis Bersamin, who was killed at a wedding outside a Quezon City church.
“This peacekeeping effort will help a lot in stopping violence in Abra … I respect the police and my trust in them has been revived. In the past, local policemen were used by politicians … but the Philippine National Police is now serious in curbing violence in Abra,” Bersamin said.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/340047/abra-politicians-surrender-179-guns-to-pnp
abrenian.com 
sapay koma ta awan ti biag nga maibuwis iti tiempo ti eleksyon.
Posted by junjun | January 14, 2013, 2:44 pmlook who is talking? the governor said that the pnp were used before by local politicians. bkt sya d rn ba nakinabang??
Posted by pera o bayong | January 14, 2013, 9:19 pmOh yes, PERA O BAYONG. It is just a case of the pot calling the kettle black. It is the height of hypocrisy for Gov. Takit to say that the PNP was used before by local politicians as though he never benefitted from it. Just in case the good governor is suffering from selective amnesia, may I remind him of the most abusive police general who ever served in Abra and in the Cordillera Regional Command, in the person of the General Eugene Martin. This very corrupt and satanic police general presided over the biggest power grab in the province of Abra. This abusive police general even went to the extent of taking as his paramour a lady politician, helping her and her sons to grab power. I will never forget those days when abuses in the checkpoints were the order of the day. Some of the checkpoints were placed outside the homes of the then supporters of the incumbent officials.
As abuses were perpetrated at the checkpoints, I heard nary a whimper from Gov. Takit, Dominic Valera, the Bernoses, and most especially the Lunas. They were very happy because they were benefitting from it, never mind if it sent shivers down the spines of ordinary citiIzens. It was martial law all over again. At the checkpoints, people were being asked where they came from and where they were going. People were being asked to open the glove compartment and luggage compartment of their cars. All of these are blatant violations of the basic right of the people to be secure in their persons. Yet, did we hear anyhting from Gov. Takit or any member of the then opposition? Worse, even the Church and those who arrogated unto themselves the title of “concerned citizens” lost their moral compass and even supported the abuses. I remember onlone person, a lady by the name of Carmelita Bersalona, who condemned the abuses committed by the PNP then. If this happened today, there will not be enough space in jail for Gen. Martin and his stooges. President Pinoy would see to that.
Now here comes Gov. Takit going on record as saying the PNP was used by local officials in the past. Yes Governor, you are absolutely right. You were one of those who used the PNP in the past. Oh yes, together with your brother, Lucas, you sucked it up to the discredited Gen. Martin. I really do not care who won in that election if only the playing field was level. With all due respect, it was not.
Posted by pedro abreno | January 15, 2013, 3:47 pmaka black bird taga ifugao twit twit…
Posted by patricia | January 17, 2013, 4:57 amPedro Abreno talks a lot but does not what he is talking about…Abra is not a basket case, people like Pedro abreno are the ones creating a doomsday scenario for..what power grab are you talking about..
Posted by Pedro crpuz | January 22, 2013, 8:11 amNone are so blind as those who refuse to see. None are so deaf as those who refuse to hear.
Posted by Pedro Abreno | January 23, 2013, 5:56 pmSince we have now different faces with different personal characters in the police hierarchy or in the different law enforcement agencies, perhaps we could give them another chance to prove their worth and loyalty to their current Commander In Chief. Maybe through the collaboration of the brave present provincial Comelec Chief, they would be able to lay the groundwork for a more peaceful and fair election in the years ahead where true freedom loving and righteous new breed will emerge and unafraid to end the reign of oppression skillfully crowned to us by the ruling class, or no other else than our corrupt politicians . I like Ms. Carmelita Bersalona’s caliber together with others of your own choice (like the defeated Millare I think?) to be added on Rimat’s list for 2016 Election. We need more like them if we want Abra to have a CHANCE for a CHANGE!
Posted by cmdr. dayang-dayang | January 23, 2013, 6:42 pmTHE DAY OF THEIR LAST JUDGMENT IS INEVITABLE!
Beware thief politicians…REPENT!
Posted by uneducated guest | January 23, 2013, 6:53 pmstop jueteng and lets see if there are pnp officers willing to be assigned here.
Posted by natanyahu | January 24, 2013, 5:59 pmTHIS IS NOT FAIR! We are voting thief politicians again…
Mr. President you ought to know that your Matuwid Na Daan advocacy in our province is Baluktot Na Daan.
Do something about it or else the devil continuously devours your hard works because of this kind of politicians.
They are the thorns, pests, and crocodiles in your journey towards the “straight path” and determined to ruin your integrity or good reputation worldwide. You need to fumigate them now before it’s too late. Order secretly your official trusted auditing team to re-audit their previous disbursement reports and conduct lifestyle check to find out who among them pocketed our hard-earned taxes, foreign aids/debts, or who discredited your good governance. Otherwise, righteous majority poor people keep wondering why you can do to the Big Fish but not to the small ones which is far bigger if you will combine prostituted wealth together. At any rate, we are still confident that you are still the man with a mission like Moises who saves his people from the bondage of years in slavery and our high respect with you is still intact.
Posted by sanggir | January 15, 2013, 6:34 pmcorrection: if you will combine their prostituted wealth altogether.
Posted by sanggir | January 15, 2013, 6:36 pmDON’T LET YOUR CURSE INDUCING OTHER COUNTRY/IES TO PULVERIZE OUR PROVINCE DUE TO YOUR INEQUITIES OR WICKEDNESS!
Have mercy to the would be innocent victims for you could just escape to other countries with the aid of your prostituted wealth when the inevitable happens. Amend your evil ways that we may be still saved or distancing yourselves if we still have election/s in the years ahead. In this way, Karma might redirect the ire of vengeance with you and saves us from further destruction and humiliation for the sake of our future generations who want to enjoy real life in the hands of righteous freedom-loving politicians.
I think the best place to hide and invest your hard-earned wealth is the Sprattly Islands where gas and oil exploration is projected to profit in the tune of $50 billion a year. Bring your PAGS and paramours with you so that they may also taste for the first time in their life the essence of complete FREEDOM or peace of mind.
Posted by karma | January 24, 2013, 2:29 pmdiak magawidan ti agkatawa iti daytoy a damag.imagine 179 guns only for the whole probinsya ng abra?ay pangkis a tinapa ! no kitaem no aglabas ni apo politico,sangaperperrrrrrrr nga badigol-lion ti nakasakay ta ubet ti lugan.ti kayat da a sawen,lateg laeng ti armas da? diak ammo no siak la ti muttaleng a di mamati !
Posted by KARASAKAS | January 15, 2013, 10:35 pmAwan pay 10 percent daytoy 179 ! Tunggal 10 nga naisurrender, adda pay la nakaready nga more than 100 ,’ready for urgent actions’. So, with this 179, my personal estimate, is more or less 2000 loose firearms are there to challenge the new PNP leadership and entire AFP. To all law enforcers, don’t ever underestimate the evil power of the greed of politicians in Abra. At any cost, they are always ready to do everything, yes EVERYTHING, in the name of love of MONEY and POWER. May God blessYou.
Posted by Tagamasid | January 16, 2013, 4:26 amand where are d pnp now whom takit used before, they are now a subject of vilifications n complaints of varius disciplinary body of d govt yet the governor vehemently denying that he did nt benefitted.poor policemen but they deserved to be prosecuted for being partisan. erRol agpullo kam metten pati mga oficial mu lalo na c martin,
Posted by natanyahu | January 16, 2013, 5:37 amiyakin c takit nun halos sambahin nya c billit
Posted by errol | January 18, 2013, 10:07 pmsir, boss sabay saludo ti style takit idi 2007 election ngem idi 2010 police dog kunana metten kadakame
Posted by pultak | January 20, 2013, 9:51 amisu reminder mga kabaro wag believe masyado ke takit kunyari lng yan na ngdadasal at ngrorosaryo aftr kang paknabangan police dog kunananton
Posted by pultak | January 20, 2013, 9:56 amAdo TI ditoy paltoog NA ditoy nangruna dagitoy mayor Ken kapitan TI abra.
Posted by perto | January 16, 2013, 9:39 amkalokohan…
Posted by arthur | January 24, 2013, 12:27 amHahaha… Pimmaltog man bata ni takit jay galyeran! Sa katauhan po ni POPOY very BIG… Hoy TAKIT! Sakbay ka nga agpabida! Bagaam pay dagita alipores mo!
Posted by TadERo | January 26, 2013, 12:31 am