ILOILO City – A total of 31 civilians and one member of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) have been arrested across Western Visayas for violating the Commission on Elections (Comelec) gun ban, records from the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) showed.
The soldier, identified only as “Joemarie” from Barangay Magdungao, Passi City, is assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division’s engineering department. He was arrested on the evening of February 2 after his 20-year-old live-in partner sought assistance from the police, accusing him of abuse. When authorities arrived at the scene, Joemarie resisted arrest but was eventually subdued.
The soldier failed to present a letter of exemption from the Comelec and was charged with violating the gun ban, as well as Republic Act 10591 for not showing a valid gun license.
The following police stations were involved in the arrests:
* Aklan Police Provincial Office (PPO) – two
* Capiz PPO – six
* Guimaras – one
* Iloilo City Police Office – three
* Iloilo PPO – four
* Negros Occidental PPO – seven
* Bacolod City Police Office – seven
* Regional Mobile Force Battalion – two
In response to the incident, Brigadier General Michael Samson, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, said the soldier would be held accountable for his actions.
The Comelec gun ban remains in effect to ensure the peaceful conduct of the May 12 elections./PN
