COTABATO CITY (October 13, 2025) — A police team clamped down a patrolman from the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region and a companion after selling to them two assault rifles and three pistols in an entrapment operation in Davao City before dawn Monday, October 13.
The suspect, Patrolman Muhammad Sidomar Gando of PRO-BAR’s Regional Mobile Force Battalion 14, and his civilian accomplice, initially identified only as James, are now locked in a detention facility of the Davao City Police Office.
Gando and his male companion were immediately detained after selling to plainclothes agents of the Police Regional Office-12 two 5.56 M4 combat rifles, two .45 caliber pistol and a 9 millimeter Beretta pistol during a tradeoff along Roxas Avenue in Davao City.
Talks and text messages have since been spreading in Cotabato City and Maguindanao del Sur and Maguindanao del Norte provinces stating that Gando, an ethnic Maguindanaon, has relatives who are gunrunners operating in Central Mindanao.
One of the pistols that he had sold to the non-uniformed policemen, the 9 millimeter Beretta, was marked Philippine National Police property.
Brig. Gen. Joseph Arguelles, director of PRO-11, said they are to prosecute Gando and his cohort for violation of the Republic Act 10591, also known as the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Act that outlawed possession and sale of firearms and ammunition without permission from the government.
Brig. Jaysen De Guzman, director of PRO-BAR, said they will immediately file administrative charges against Gando for him to get booted from the police service for his criminal offense.