Froilan Segador Cabilla, 29, found it while cleaning his late grandfather’s cabinet.
According to Lieutenant Zosimo Ravanes Jr., team leader of the Anti-Kidnapping Group-Visayas Field Unit (AKG-VFU) Cebu, Cabilla initially wanted to keep the gun because it held a lot of sentimental value.
Cabilla’s grandfather was a soldier who defended the country against rebels and criminal elements.
However, he read on the newspaper and heard on the radio that possession of an unregistered firearm was illegal, which convinced him to surrender it.
“He (Cabilla) wanted to keep the .38 revolver as a souvenir, but he was afraid he would get arrested because the gun wasn’t licensed. That’s why he surrendered it,” Ravanes said in Cebuano.
Cabilla first informed barangay officials, who contacted Staff Sergeant Jayson Jamoner, team leader of the AKG-VFU Bohol.
Ravanes said the turnover of the firearm was witnessed by Jamoner and barangay councilor Peter Pancha.
Ravanes urged other members of the public in possession of unregistered firearms to surrender these to authorities.