ILOILO City – Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao, the Philippine National Police (PNP) director in Western Visayas, is expecting a surge in the number of arrested gun ban violators.
“We will not stop looking for gun holders who have no exemption from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and those who possess homemade firearms,” he said.
The five-month election gun ban started on Jan. 13. It ends on June 12.
“Mas maganda na maubos huli ang mga nagpo-possess nig homemade na abril para pagdating ng May 13, 2019 midterm elections wala na ang mga guns-for-hire,” said Bulalacao.
Checkpoints have been set up across Western Visayas. Bulalacao, however, said the police would also be conducting raids.
“Kung hindi sila mahuli sa checkpoint, mag a-apply tayo ng search warrants, especially against guns-for-hire kasi baka gawin silang goons ng mga politiko,” said Bulalacao.
Two more persons were arrested – in the provinces of Negros Occidental and Iloilo – for violating the election gun ban.
The 28-year-old Perlito Sico Jr., a drug pushing suspect, did not only yield a sachet of shabu during a buy-bust operation of the police in Barangay Balintawak, Escalante, City, Negros Occidental on Sunday. Cops also seized from him a homemade .38 revolver.
The buy-bust operation was carried out around 6:45 p.m.
Sico was detained at the Escalante City police station.
Two hours later, 45-year-old laborer Alex Primaylon of Barangay Tuy-an West, Maasin, Iloilo was arrested at a police checkpoint in Barangay Tubang, Maasin.
Policemen recovered from Primaylon a .45 homemade gun.
The arrest of Sico and Primaylon raised to five the number of arrested gun ban violators in the region. Three were initially reported to have been caught – security guard Antonio Francisco, 45, in Calinog, Iloilo (.38 revolver); Dina Licera, 54, in Pototan, Iloilo (.45 pistol); and Gil Halang, 45, in Dumalag, Capiz (.45 pistol).
Violating the gun ban is an election offense, as provided for in Section 261 of the Omnibus Election Code. Violators face imprisonment not less than one year but not more than six years.
Pursuant to Comelec Resolution No. 10446, qualified persons and entities may seek exemption from the gun ban and other prohibited acts by applying for the appropriate Certificate of Authority (CA) at the Comelec through the Committee on the Ban on Firearms and Security Personnel (CBFSP).
Application forms and requirements for the issuance of a CA must be submitted to the CBFSP Office at the Comelec main office from Dec. 1, 2018 to May 29, 2019.
Unless properly covered by a CA, any permit to carry firearm/s outside one’s residence or place of business will be ineffective and without force and effect during the election period./PN
