11 PNP officials face charges over sale of 1000 AK-47 rifles to NPA - Manila Bulletin

by Jun Ramirez

November 14, 2014 (updated)

Eleven top officials of the Firearms and Explosive Office (FEO) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and several others are facing criminal investigation before the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) for allegedly selling more than 1,000 AK-47 assault rifles to the New People’s Army (NPA).

Director Gil Meneses, Director Napoleon Estilles, Chief Superintendent Raul Petrasanta, Chief Supt. Tomas Rentoy II, Chief Supt. Regino Catiis, Senior Supt. Eduardo Acierto, Senior Supt. Allan Parreno, Supt. Nelson Bautista, Chief Inspector Ricky Sumalde, Chief Inspector Ricardo Zapata Jr., and Chief Inspector Rodrigo Benedicto Sarmiento were charged with falsification of public documents, graft and corruption, and violation of the Private Security Agency Law.

Also included in the criminal complaints were Senior Police Officer 1 Eric Tan, SPO1 Randy De Sesto, and three non-uniformed personnel of the FEO as well as Isidro Lozada of Caraga Security Agency and representatives of gun supplier Twin Pines, Inc.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales formed yesterday a five-lawyer panel to conduct preliminary investigation and administrative adjudication.

Administrative charges for grave misconduct and dishonesty were also filed against the FEO officials, with a prayer that they be preventively suspended pending administrative adjudication.

The anti-graft agency’s Military and Other Law Enforcement Offices (MOLEO) initiated its own case build-up based on a media report.

The complaint alleged that based on the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) investigation report dated July, 2014, four private security agencies and a mining company successfully applied and were issued firearms licenses by the FEO using falsified and incomplete documentary requirements.

Based on the FEO database, 1,004 licensed firearms were released through the submission of incomplete and falsified applications submitted by Isidro Lozada, owner of Caraga Security Agency, who purchased the firearms from Twin Pines, Inc. which, in turn, facilitated and submitted the fraudulent applications of Lozada to the FEO.

Despite irregularities in the applications, licenses were processed and approved by FEO officials and personnel.

Documents gathered during field investigation disclosed that Caraga Security Agency’s license to operate had expired on September 30, 2012.

The CIDG was also able to validate information that firearms matching the serial numbers of the licensed AK-47s issued to the security agencies and mining company were recovered from encounters between the military and the NPAs in the Caraga and Western Mindanao regions.

The Russia-made AK-47 is considered one of the most powerful assault rifles in the world.

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