Authorities round up gun ban offenses on Day 1 of election period

Metro Manila, Philippines - Authorities cracked down on gun ban violators in five areas as the election season began on Sunday, Jan. 12, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said.

Philippine National Police chief PGen Rommel Marbil reported that there were four violators in Central Luzon, Western Visayas, Soccsksargen, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in the early hours of the election period.

In police reports shared with the media, Comelec Chairman George Garcia said the violators were from Buluan, Maguindanao del Sur; Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija; Iloilo City; Malasiqui, Pangasinan; and Cainta, Rizal.

Three men violated the gun ban in Cabanatuan City, including a soldier assigned at Fort Magsaysay, a military camp in Nueva Ecija, who failed to secure a certificate of exemption from the Comelec.

A man arrested in Iloilo City had a rifle and two more firearms on him, discovered after a traffic crash.

The Comelec said it has issued 1,131 certificates of exemption for people and security agencies. Comelec Commissioner Aimee Ferolino said other gun owners could still apply for exemption “anytime.”

A permit to carry firearms outside of residence will not be honored. Garcia said those apprehended may serve time for up to six years.

“We will revoke your license pagka nahulihan ka namin. We will just come up with a policy kung ilang years na di ka namin bibigyan ng baril,” Marbil said in a chance interview with reporters in a ceremonial security inspection in Manila.

“Just try us, mag-violate kayo, habang buhay na hindi na kayo magdadala ng baril,” he added.

[Translation: We will revoke your license once we arrest you. We will just come up with a policy on how many years you will not be issued a gun. Just try us, try to violate, you will not carry a gun for life.]

Authorities have set up checkpoints and announced a nationwide gun ban, which will end on June 11, or 30 days after the May 12 elections.