Gun ban violators balloon to 68
In less than a month since the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) total gun ban implementation, 68 persons were already arrested in Western Visayas.
Police Regional Office (PRO) VI records showed that 60 are civilians while 8 are either militiamen, military personnel, or government employees.
The arrests also led to the confiscation of 58 firearms, 18 of which are high-powered guns; 11 bladed weapons; and one grenade were confiscated.
Of the said number, 46 cases were already filed in court while 16 are being readied for filing.
Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO) topped the number of arrests with 23 persons and the confiscation of 22 firearms.
Capiz PPO followed with 12 arrested persons, 12 confiscated firearms, and filed nine cases.
Antique and Bacolod City PPOs posted eight arrests each; Antique PPO has seven; Bacolod City PO has six.
Aklan PPO has seven arrested persons, confiscated firearms and two bladed weapons.
Iloilo PPO has arrested five persons while Iloilo City has three.
PNP Regional Director Chief Supt. Isagani Cuevas said that they have been constantly reminding the public on the gun ban.
“We did not remiss on our information dissemination,” he added.
And as election nears, Cuevas said that they will not lower their guards and would continue to step their operations to ensure an honest, orderly and peaceful election.
“We will be more aggressive in our campaign. If we want an election that reflects the true sentiment of the people, I think everyone should cooperate with us in this endeavor,” he added.
