A dismissed contractual employee of the Bureau of Immigration carrying unlicensed firearm was arrested at the main office of the Department of Justice (DOJ) in Manila on Tuesday.
“He has been dismissed from service before kaya may problema talaga (so there’s really a problem). Magdadala ng baril tapos walang lisensya (he’s carrying a gun without a license),” Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said in a press briefing.
He added the suspect was also allegedly involved in scamming activities
The Justice Secretary said the man was able to take a selfie with him before being arrested by security guards after noticing the latter’s suspicious movement.
He said the country’s selfie culture is being weaponized by some individuals.
“Eh, kapag may nangyari, baka sabihin ina-ano ko. Kaya lang hindi tayo pwede mag turn away ng tao dahil kultura natin na maging mabait sa tao eh at saka mabuti. Hindi natin tine-turn away kaagad,” Remulla said.
(If something happens, they might say that I [endorsed him]. But we can’t just turn our backs on people because it’s our culture to be kind to others. We don’t immediately turn them away.)
He added that officials should be able to turn down selfies without the other party taking it the wrong way.
Meanwhile, in a separate interview, Immigration spokesperson Dana Sandoval confirmed that the suspect is a former contractual employee of BI.
She said the contract of the suspect was terminated in March, after seven months of employment.
“Siya po ay terminated kasi nagkaroon po ng loss of trust and confidence sa kanya ang pamunuan po ng Immigration (He was terminated because the BI lost its trust and confidence in him),” Sandoval said in a Zoom interview.
“During the conduct po ng kanyang trabaho, may mga nakita po na kaduda-dudang actions. There were reports na meron po siyang illegal activities kaya po siya ay agad-agad tinerminate ng management,” she later added.
(During the performance of his job, some suspicious actions were observed. There were reports that he was engaged in illegal activities, so the management immediately terminated his contract.)
Sandoval said she could not disclose the specific activities the suspect was involved in but that he was using the name of the bureau for his benefit.
She added the suspect was also assigned to the BI unit which is involved in the investigation of illegal aliens in the country.
Meanwhile, Remulla said the suspect may face a complaint for illegal possession of firearms.
“Let’s look where the case brings us. Kasi nga, isa-isa lang ‘yan eh. Ang kaso niyan illegal possession of firearms pa lang eh,” he said.
(Let’s see where the case takes us. There’s just one right now. There’s only the illegal possession of firearms.)
Remulla said the DOJ has also tightened its security.—AOL, GMA Integrated News
