(Eagle News) – The Quezon City Police District has filed charges of illegal possession of firearms against Felix Nathaniel “Angel” Manalo and his sister, Lolita “Lottie” Hemedez, and their companions before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office.
QCPD head, Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar, said that the charges against the expelled Iglesia Ni Cristo members, who were all illegally residing at the INC’s property located at no. 36 Tandang Sora Avenue, in Quezon City, were filed Friday night (March 3).
In all, 27 of those rounded up on Thursday were charged with illegal possession of firearms, including two former soldiers, who were reportedly former Marines. They allegedly entered the Tandang Sora property in October last year.
The former soldiers were identified as Jonathan S. Ledesma and Joseph Sabbaluca. Aside from the illegal possession of firearms charge, they were also filed additional charges of frustrated murder and direct assault for shooting at and hitting two police officers – PO2 Henry Hular and PO2 Joemarie Oandasan.
“Nakapag-file na po tayo ng kaukulang kaso sa magkapatid na Angel at Lottie Manalo based sa result ng investigation, sampu ng kanilang mga kasamahan at hinihintay na lamang natin ang disposition ng piskalya,” said Chief Supt. Eleazar in a statement on Saturday, March 4.
-Suspects detained at QCPD
Eleazar said that in the meantime, the suspects are detained at the QCPD’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (CIDU).
In a release, the QCPD said “the charges were filed arising from the serving of a search warrant last March 2, 2017 on the house they all occupied at No. 36, Tandang Sora Avenue, Culiat, Quezon City where two operatives of the QCPD District Special Reaction Unit (DSRU) were wounded allegedly by gunshots from Ledesma and Sabbaluca.”
The wounded police officers, Hular and Oandasan, were treated at the St. Lukes Medical Center.
Eleazar said Hular was reportedly in critical condition. He was shot in the shoulder and in the stomach, which caused severe wounds in his liver, intestines, and kidney, he said.
Oandasan, on the other hand, was wounded in the leg.
It was also ascertained that not one bullet was fired by INC guards.
Eleazar said five of the 32 people rounded up on Thursday would be released.
The police team found and seized “a cache of firearms and ammunition,” all unlicensed in the area.
The police conducted the operation on the basis of a search warrant issued on March 1, Wednesday, by First Executive Judge Angelene Mary W. Quimpo-Sale of Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 106
Unlicensed firearms and ammunition seized
Eleazar explained the said warrant was issued on the basis of accounts from eyewitnesses that the expelled INC members were keeping an armory there.
The unlicensed firearms and ammunition seized in the area included an M-16 Colt AR rifle with serial number 4952780, one M-1 carbine with serial number 4161809, a 12-gauge Action shotgun, different kinds of ammunition and other firearms accessories.
According to the police spot report dated March 4, the police SWAT team also recovered from the scene of the shooting incident one Bushmaster with magazine and loaded with 15 live ammunition and one ARMSCOR shotgun, loaded with five live ammunitions, and several fired cartridge cases.
The various cases of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition or Republic Act 10591 as well as the cases of frustrated murder and direct assault, were all referred for inquest proceedings before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office, particularly before Assistant City Prosecutor Nilo Penaflor.
The cases were submitted for “further disposition.”
(based on a report by Eagle News Service reporter Jerold Tagbo)