Masbate cops seize loose firearms from town mayor

A Masbate town mayor was caught by local policemen in possession of unlicensed high-powered firearms on Tuesday, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said Thursday. Mayor Ruel Benesano of Balud town was caught carrying four firearms loaded with live ammunition inside his service vehicles in Camp Bonny Serrano in Masbate City, PNP spokesperson Senior Superintendent Agrimero Cruz said. Recovered from Benesano’s vehicles were an M30 Garand rifle, a KG9 assault pistol, an M16 rifle and a Baby armalite. According to Cruz, only the M30 Garand rifle and the KG9 assault pistol were licensed and had permits for transport. The two other firearms were unlicensed and were illegally transported, he added. Benesano, however, explained that the unlicensed firearms had an "application for amnesty" at the Firearms and Explosives Division of the national police headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City. Cruz did not specify whether or not the town mayor will be charged for illegal possession of firearms. A member of the Zeñarosa Commission, an independent body formed last year to dismantle private armies in the country, once identified Masbate as one of the areas in the Philippines with the most number of armed groups connected to local politicians. [See: Private armed groups surge as May elections approach) Masbate has also been tagged as a "hot spot" during the May elections due to the high number of poll-related violent incidents in the province during the campaign season, primarily due to political rivalries between clans. — with Andreo Calonzo/RSJ/KBK, GMANews.TV