Abra mayor, vice mayor surrender more firearms

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — The mayor of Pilar town in Abra and his sister vice mayor whose security men were tagged in a stand-off with policemen have surrendered more firearms to the provincial police.

In a post on social media on Wednesday, the Cordillera police said Mayor Mark Roland Somera and Vice Mayor Josefina Somera-Disono, through their legal counsel, surrendered a shotgun, revolver and six pistols to Col. Maly Cula, Abra police director, and Maj. Michael Maca-ey, officer in-charge of the regional police civil security unit.

The Philippine National Police earlier revoked the licenses of the firearms owned by the siblings.

Disono reportedly owned the shotgun while the rest were registered under her brother’s name.

Records showed that on March 29, a stand-off occurred in a compound owned by the Someras after their security personnel eluded a checkpoint in Pilar.

A shootout reportedly erupted between the officers manning the checkpoint and the security personnel, who took refuge in the Somera compound.

Two weeks after the incident, the Someras surrendered 12 of their security personnel as well as several firearms.

The siblings, both reelectionists, lost in the May 9 elections.