- Lt. Col. Ferdinand Marcelino faces new cases for violating the Comelec gun ban
- The PNP notes that Marcelino is not exempted from the election-related gun ban
- Police officials also find out that Marcelino’s permit to carry a personal firearm had already expired prior to his arrest
- Preliminary investigations on the new cases will be conducted on February 24
The former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) officer who was arrested inside a drug laboratory during a raid in January is facing more complaints after the Philippine National Police’s Anti-Illegal Drugs Group (PNP-AIDG) found out that he carried his personal firearm despite not possessing a gun ban exemption permit from the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
In an article published by GMA News Online, it was disclosed that Lt. Col. Ferdinand Marcelino was not exempted from the gun ban implemented by the Comelec in line with the upcoming local and national elections and that his permit to carry a personal firearm had already expired.
Marcelino, who once headed the PDEA’s Special Enforcement Service, is a member of the Philippine Marine Corps assigned as the superintendent of the Naval Officer Candidate School in San Antonio, Zambales when he was arrested.
The military officer has also claimed that he was working on a legitimate intelligence operation dubbed as “Oplan Moses,” which was allegedly sanctioned by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP), despite not being part of the PDEA at the time of his arrest.
However, the Malacanang Palace has denied the claims of Marcelino; saying that there is no ongoing PAOCC operation that involves the officer.
Preliminary investigations on the new cases will be held on February 24, while Marcelino will submit his rejoinder on his supposed violations against the Comprehensive Dangerous Drug Act on February 26.
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