BACOLOD CITY - Col. Thomas Joseph Martir, director of Bacolod City Police, revealed on Tuesday that “poverty” had pushed a personnel of the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) to allegedly engage in illegal selling of unlicensed firearms.
Martir said that PSSgt Gerwin Catolico, 36, of Barangay Granada here, is into “buy and sell” business. But, he said he did not expect that Catolico would also engage in the said illegal activity.
Operatives of the PNP-Integrity Monitoring Enforcement Group (IMEG) in coordination with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) arrested Catolico in Barangay Estefania here last Sunday.
According to the police, Catolico allegedly sold a .45 caliber to a police agent.
With his arrest, Catolico was relieved from his post as investigator of Police Station 2, pending the filing of criminal and administrative charges against him.
Martir said that Catolico has not been removed yet from the BCPO roster until the result of the investigation comes out.
Martir said that Catolico was also previously relieved from the BCPO after he was one of the personalities tagged in another offense. But, he was reassigned to the BCPO after a while.
Martir also reiterated his call to its personnel to never engage in any illegal activity, as it could destroy their image and career.
Catolico, who has yet to be reached for comment, is detained at CIDG-Negros Occidental at the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (Nocppo) headquarters here.