ILOILO CITY - Five days after the armed assault on the Iloilo provincial capitol, police yesterday presented a licensed assault rifle allegedly recovered during the operation amid widespread outrage over the incident.

Senior Supt. Wesley Barayuga, Iloilo City police chief, said the Baby Armalite rifle was recovered at 4:45 p.m. last Wednesday by PO2 Vicente Demadara of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, one of around 200 policemen who stormed the capitol. The firearm with a magazine containing 19 bullets was placed inside a bag near a guard post at the back entrance at the ground floor of the six-story building, said Barayuga.

But Barayuga said they still have not found any violation and are conducting further investigations because the firearm, with Serial Number 415791, is licensed to the Iloilo provincial government. He also pointed out that there was also no one holding the firearm when it was found.

Barayuga said the license is valid from August 21, 2006 to March 31, 2007, based on data from the PNP's Firearms Information Management System and Firearms and Explosives Division.

Police officials and Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez had defended the armed assault of the building saying there were reports that armed supporters of Tupas, detainees from the provincial jail and New People's Army rebels were at the premises of the capitol.

When asked why its discovery was only announced yesterday and no police officials had mentioned it before, Barayuga said they were busy with the operations and with security preparations for the Dinagyang Festival this week.

Provincial board member Domingo Oso, one of two officials along with Tupas who was ordered remove from office for graft acts, dismissed the police announcement.

"They are fond of planting evidence. Why only now? They should have shown that right after the assault," Oso said in a press conference.

Oso said many people including reporters could attest that there were no armed supporters of Tupas or NPA rebels during the three-day stand-off and during the assault.

Municipal councilors, provincial board members, barangay captains have joined Bayan, the partylist group Bayan Muna and other militant groups in forming a broad alliance against political repression and curtailment of the freedom of expression.

The Democratic Alliance Against Repression will help in various investigations being conducted on the assault of the capitol, said Janiuay town councilor Joseph Lutero in the press conference.

"If this could happen to a top official like (Governor) Tupas, then this could also be done to us," Rosemarie Duremdes-Doromal, a councilor of Dumangas town in Iloilo, said.

Militant groups held a protest rally at the grounds of the provincial capitol yesterday to condemn the assault. It was held in front of a mural with a painting of the President resembling dictator Adolf Hitler, complete with Nazi swastikas.

Officials of the regional chapter of the provincial board members league said in the press conference that provincial boards in Western Visayas are expected to pass separate resolutions condemning the incident and the manhandling of Tupas' son, provincial board member Niel Jr.

The Capiz provincial board passed a resolution Friday condemning the armed assault on the Iloilo capitol.*NPB

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