Man in viral traffic video arrested for “unlicensed” firearms and explosives

By Martin Sadongdong

Joint police teams found several unlicensed firearms and explosives after they searched two residential houses of a man seen in a viral video hitting traffic enforcers, the Metro Manila police chief disclosed Friday.

National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Director Guillermo Eleazar (FEDERICO CRUZ / MANILA BULLETIN)

Armed with a search warrant, elements of the National Capital Region Police Office-Regional Special Operations Unit (NCRPO-RSOU) and the Makati City Police swooped down the houses of Arnold Padilla on San Antonio Street, Magallanes Village, Makati around 7 a.m.

NCRPO Director Guillermo Eleazar said based on their initial search, a shotgun, a caliber .45 pistol and two grenades were found inside one of Padilla’s houses.

“Dalawa kasi ang bahay niyang magkatabi so palipat-lipat sila dyan pati ang security niya. Initially, may narecover na tayong caliber .45, shotgun at dalawang hand grenade (He has two houses, he usually transfers from one to another, including his security team. Initially, we recovered a caliber .45 , a shotgun and two hand grenades),” said Eleazar.

However, Padilla and his live-in partner, Glocel Razon, claimed the guns have licenses and denied owning grenades.

“Tinanim po iyan. Hindi sa amin ‘yan. ‘Yan na nga ba ang sinasabi ko eh, tataniman po ‘yan (The were planted. They do not belong to us. That’s what I’m saying, they are going to plant evidence),” Padilla said as he cried foul that they were forced to go out of their house during the search.

“I-check po natin sa CCTV, may CCTV kami. Itinaas po nila, binago nila ang anggulo (We can check the closed-circuit television , we have CCTVs. They even changed the angle of it),” Razon added.

However, Eleazar denied that the cops altered several CCTV cameras and planted the grenades that were found at the pantry of one of Padilla’s houses.
“Ganyan naman ang sinasabi ng lahat nang nahuhuli natin — na pinaplantahan ng ebidensya pero hindi naman (All of those we arrest usually say we are planting evidence but we are not),” he said.

Padilla was placed under arrest for violation of Republic Act 10591 or illegal possession of firearms and Republic Act 9156 or illegal possession of explosives, a non-bailable offense.

However, when cops were about to send him to Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City, he requested for medical assistance due to chest pains. After receiving treatment, Padilla was subjected for documentation and preparation of charges against him at the NCRPO headquarters.

‘Toughie’

Padilla and Razon were recently featured in a viral video where they apparently confronted two traffic enforcers in Makati City who flagged them down for beating the red light. The incident happened last week.

Makati police said Padilla cursed and spit at the two traffic enforcers while Razon hit the enforcers. Three bodyguards then followed the couple and simultaneously attacked the enforcers, the police added.

Eleazar, however, said the viral incident did not trigger the implementation of a search warrant against the suspects. He said they have long been receiving reports that Padilla was a toughie in their neighborhood.

“Mayroon na siyang case even before that na may illegal possession of firearms nga. Accordingly, dito sa Barangay Magallanes, may at least 30 complaints na laban sa kanya for various offenses including harassment ng mga kapitbahay (He already has an earlier case for illegal possession of firearms. Accordingly in Barangay Magallanes, he is already facing 30 complaints for various offenses including harassment of his neighbors),” the Metro top cop said.

He said they learned from the PNP’s Firearms and Explosive Office (FEO) that the firearms license of Padilla was already revoked in April 2018.

This was confirmed by PNP-FEO director, Chief Superintendent Valeriano de Leon, who said Padilla applied for a license to own and possess a firearm (LTOPF) in 2015 and it was approved. However, he said they discovered that he submitted a fake result of a drug test which is a necessary requirement before an applicant could get a firearms license.

“‘Yung ating (Our) Firearms License Revokation and Restoration Board was immediately activated upon the disclosure of fake drug test that was submitted to us long ago. So his license was immediately revoked in April 2018,” De Leon said.

‘Gift-bomb’

The NCRPO chief added that Padilla and his mother, Arlene, were previously charged with murder and frustrated murder after they allegedly sent a “gift-bomb” to his sister Yvonne Geraldine Padilla-Chua, in December 2010. Yvonne died while another one was hurt in the said incident.

“We will also review that but this operation is distinct and separate from that case,” Eleazar pointed out.