Police arrested a barangay councilor of Balirong, Naga City in southern Cebu yesterday morning after a raid on his residence yielded an unlicensed gun with ammunition.
Tacio Pacana Canonigo, a former barangay captain, will face charges for violation of RA 10591. He is detained at the Criminal Investigation and Detective Team (CIDT) office.
“I keep a gun because when I was still barangay captain, there were a lot of troublemakers here,” he told Cebu Daily News in Cebuano.
He blamed politics behind his arrest. Canonigo served as Balirong barangay captain from 1994 to 2013. His wife Sulpicia is the incumbent barangay captain while he sits in the barangay council.
CIDT operatives raided Canonigo’s residence based on a search warrant issued by Regional Trial Court Judge Gilbert Moises. A .45 caliber pistol, ammunition, and magazines were found inside the house.
CIDT head Chief Inspector Maximo Sumeg-ang said they placed Canonigo under two weeks of surveillance after receiving a complaint against the official.