Taguig court convicts alleged NPA member for illegal possession of firearms, ammunition

A court in Taguig City has found an alleged member of the New People’s Army guilty of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, the Justice Department announced Thursday.

In a decision promulgated on December 15, 2022, the Taguig Regional Trial Court Branch 266 sentenced Cesar Balmaceda to two years and four months to up to seven years and four months in jail.

He was also ordered to pay a fine of P30,000 following his conviction for violation of Section 1 of Presidential Decree 1866, as amended by Republic Act 8294.

According to the Department of Justice, Balmaceda was arrested by state forces in 2000 in Barangay Lumutan in Atimonan, Quezon, after they received information that there was an armed person in the area.

After seeing a group of six people in the area, the authorities questioned them, but they immediately fled. One of the men pulled out a gun and pointed it at the law enforcers as they pursued them, but he did not fire.

"This prompted the authorities to fire a warning shot, leading to Balmaceda's arrest," the department said.

Authorities had recovered one caliber. 45 Model 1911 loaded with four live rounds of ammunition.

The DOJ said Balmaceda was unable to present a document to prove that he was authorized to possess a firearm. —Joahna Lei Casilao/VBL, GMA Integrated News