Coast Guard to cooperate on probe vs personnel arrested in Zamboanga City

October 12, 2020

Philippine Coast Guard Commandant Admiral George Ursabia Jr. said it will cooperate with the investigation against its personnel who was arrested for illegal possession of firearms in Zamboanga City last Friday.

Commodore Armando Balilo, PCG spokesman, said after receiving report about the arrested PCG personnel that Ursabia "exhorted that the PCG will fully cooperate with the ongoing investigation of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the PNP within the legal bounds of the law, as the service does not tolerate any personnel involved in any kind of illegal activity."

"Admiral Ursabia has tasked the Coast Guard Internal Affairs Unit to conduct parallel investigation to ensure that involved Coast Guard personnel, if found guilty of violating the law, will face the consequences of their actions," he said.

Balilo identified the arrested PCG personnel as Apprentice Seaman Al-Rafee Jailani, of the Coast Guard District Southwestern Mindanao.

"Based on the initial report of Coast Guard District Southwestern Mindanao, the  incident happened during the execution of a search warrant for illegal possession of explosives against 30-year old Kadija Lutian Sadji, sister of Seaman Second Class Moh Yusop Sadji of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)," he said.

"Jailani, who happened to sleep over (at) the residence of his classmate, SN2 Sadji during the operations, was arrested after he was found with an illegally possessed M1911 pistol," said Balilo.

"SN2 Sadji, on the other hand, was not arrested, but decided to come with the members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Regional Intelligence Division 9 to cooperate with the investigation regarding the search warrant filed against his sister," he added.

Balilo said the PCG personnel were brought to the Sinunuc Police Station in Zamboanga City for booking prior to filling of cases in court after recovery of one fragmentation grenade, four nine-volt batteries, electrical wires, electrical blasting caps, and other improvised explosive device  components inside residence of the Sadji siblings. Robina Asido/DMS