A formal complaint has been filed with the Philippine National Police–Firearms and Explosives Office (PNP-FEO) seeking the immediate revocation of firearm licenses and registrations belonging to Culion Mayor Cesar De Vera, his wife Vice Mayor Ma. Virginia Nakachi De Vera, and their bodyguards.
The request follows the couple’s September 2025 conviction by the Palawan Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 163 for assaulting a minor inside the Culion Police Station in 2018.
In a 21 November 2025 letter addressed to PNP-FEO Chief Police Brig. Gen. Ronald V. Gayo, the complainant—the victim in the 2018 incident—requested the revocation of the De Veras’ License to Own and Possess Firearms (LTOPF).
The request cites Section 39 of Republic Act (RA) 10591, the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act, which prohibits firearm ownership by persons convicted of crimes involving moral turpitude or sentenced to more than six years in prison.
The RTC found the De Veras guilty beyond reasonable doubt of violating Section 10(a) of RA 7610, the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act. The court ruled that the couple slapped, punched, and pulled the victim’s hair, degrading his dignity and causing injuries.
Each was sentenced to an indeterminate prison term of up to six years and one day, along with corresponding fines and civil damages.
The couple remains free on bail pending the resolution of their motion for reconsideration.
The conviction was supported by testimony from the victim, who is now 20 years old and a Sangguniang Kabataan chairman. Witnesses corroborated that police acted on the instruction of “Mayora,” referring to then-Mayor Virginia De Vera.
The complaint filed with the PNP-FEO further cited RTC findings that Cesar De Vera used a firearm magazine as a weapon to strike the victim.
Medical findings showed injuries on the victim’s left flank and nape, consistent with his account of the assault. The complaint also noted that the couple’s bodyguards were armed during the incident.
The filing argues that the conviction meets both legal grounds for revocation. “The crime for which the Accused Cesar De Vera and Ma. Virginia De Vera were convicted beyond reasonable doubt involves moral turpitude, for which the trial court imposed upon them the maximum penalty of more than six years,” the complaint read. “As such, both the nature of the crime, and the duration of the penalty, are sufficient grounds for revocation.”
The complaint also said that the LTOPF and Firearm Registrations of both De Veras and their bodyguards involved in the incident “should all be revoked.”
