By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — A 35-year-old jobless man was hauled to jail Sunday night after police caught him waving a homemade “pen gun” loaded with a live bullet along a crowded stretch of Sta. Cruz, Manila.
Suspect Mark Gil Enero y Requero, of Binondo, was cornered by Sta. Cruz Police Station officers at 10:35 p.m. on May 4 at the corner of C.M. Recto Avenue and Rizal Avenue, Barangay 309.
Seized from Enero were:
One improvised “pen gun” – made of two stainless steel tubes, rubber band, and a concrete nail as trigger, with a small nail inside the barrel serving as firing pin.
One 9mm live ammunition loaded in the DIY firearm.
Police said PSSg Richard Racca and PCpl Leonardo Gloria were on motorcycle patrol under PMAJ Fredwin L Sernio when alarmed bystanders flagged them down.
Witnesses reported a man brandishing an improvised firearm in public, disturbing the peace in the busy area. The cops rushed to the scene and caught Enero red-handed — or in flagrante delicto — still holding the pen gun.
When asked for documents, Enero came up empty. He was immediately cuffed.
Cops read Enero his rights under R.A. 7438 and the Anti-Torture Act, but the suspect chose to stay silent.
He was brought to Jose Reyes Memorial Hospital for a medical checkup before being turned over to Sta. Cruz Police Station for investigation and filing of charges.
The pen gun will be sent to the MPD Crime Lab for ballistics exam. Cops will also check with the Regional Civil Security Unit in Camp Bagong Diwa if Enero has a firearm license, which police doubt.
Enero faces charges for violation of R.A. 10591, or the Comprehensive Law on Firearms and Ammunition. Inquest proceedings will be filed before the Manila City Prosecutor’s Office.
ia/xf
