43 nabbed in 3-month poll gun ban operations in Bicol

LEGAZPI CITY — Forty-three gun ban violators were arrested by the Philippine National Police (PNP) Bicol in more than three months of separate operations launched from January 12, at the start of the election gun ban, to March 30.

In a Facebook post on Monday, the regional police office recorded 42 violations of the nationwide firearm prohibition by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for the midterm local and national elections this year.

The island province of Masbate registered the highest number of violators with 13 arrests. Naga City logged the lowest number of arrests with only two individuals on record.

READ: PNP: 1,808 election gun ban violators arrested, so far

Albay got 10 arrests, Camarines Sur has nine, Camarines Norte listed five, and Sorsogon has four.

Catanduanes reported no gun ban violation.

There were 45 assorted types of firearms and 239 rounds of various ammunition confiscated in recent operations.

A total of 15,634 checkpoints were stationed across the region as part of the election gun ban implementation.

Under Resolution No. 11067, individuals are not allowed to bring firearms to avoid election-related violence.

Only uniformed personnel and some authorized government officials will be allowed to possess firearms as they were exempted under the poll rule.

The election gun ban is expected to remain in effect until June, a month after the elections this May. Karl Ian Morissey Ramos Inquirer intern