Eight persons, including two barangay captains and three councilmen in Lapu-Lapu City, were charged for illegal possession of firearms.
The National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI-7) filed the charges after the barangay officials and three others failed to prove that the guns they used in a firing range were licensed.
Among those charged was Japanese Kokushi Hirasawa, the general manager of Target Zero Range Recreation, Inc. in barangay Suba-Basbas.
Also charged were Renee Mabilog, range officer, Suba-Basbas barangay captain Joselito Tibon and his barangay councilor Alex Amodia, Mactan barangay captain Evaristo Dejayco Jr. and his two barangay councilors Mario Rizon and Federico Malingin and his friend Lord Francis Sam Rizon.
NBI-7 agents on Saturday raided the firing range where they allegedly recovered 2,500 government-owned bullets.
The raid was conducted after Major Dino Eler, squadron commander of the 303rd Air Intelligence and Security Squadron of the Philippine Air Force (PAF), sought the help of the NBI-7 to track down lost training and operational ammunition.
The ammunition seized from the range were for M14, M16 and M60 machine gun.
Dejayco said they were in the firing range to test their firearms and that they didn’t know that the seized bullets were owned by PAF.
Dejayco said he was authorized to carry a gun as a member of the Civilian Intelligence Service but the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group has yet to issue the papers authorizing him to possess a firearm.
Tibon also admitted possessing a gun during the arrest but he was unaware that the General Services Office (GSO) has yet to work on the papers authorizing him to carry a gun.
Except for Hirasawa and Mabilog, the other arrested persons have been released after posting bail in the amount of P100,000.