MANILA, Philippines — An Indonesian man suspected to be linked to the Islamic State-Maute Group was sentenced to 10 years in prison for carrying a loaded firearm while martial law was in effect in Marawi City in 2017.
In a 13-page decision, Taguig City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 266 Judge Marivic Vitor found Muhammad Ilham Syahputra guilty of violating Republic Act 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act and sentenced him to serve eight years and one day to 10 years, eight months and one day in prison.
Chief Inspector Christopher Cabugwang, head of the provincial drug enforcement unit in Lanao del Sur, said that on Nov. 1, 2017, they were conducting clearing operations in Bangun, Marawi City when a barangay peacekeeper informed them they saw a suspicious-looking man carrying a bag.
He said they sent two teams to the area and saw a thin man, who was soaked to the skin, acting in a unusual manner. The man, who turned out to be Syahputra, tried but failed to flee.
Police officers brought him to the station for investigation and for a proper accounting of the contents of his bag. They found in the Indonesian’s possession a .45 caliber pistol loaded with seven bullets, a fragmentation grenade, a passport and money of different currencies.
Assistant City Prosecutor Aris Manguera was the prosecutor assigned to the case while lawyer Anna Mae Abucayon of the Public Attorney’s Office in Taguig assisted Syahputra.