Not a single violator of the gun ban imposed by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) was apprehended at checkpoints in Negros Oriental at the start of the election period on Sunday.
Provincial police director, Col. Germano Mallari, on Monday said motorists were cooperative with authorities manning the checkpoints and voluntarily presented their documents, such as driver’s licenses and registration papers, while also submitting to inspection.
Mallari said the joint checkpoints of the Comelec, the Philippine National Police (PNP), and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), are set up in strategic locations and in every town and city in the province during the election period from January 9 to June 8.
While the Comelec and the security forces are manning these fixed checkpoints primarily for the enforcement of the gun ban, violators of other laws and local ordinances, such as those related to traffic, will also be enforced, he said.
“Kasama na iyan lahat dahil police pa rin ang nagma-man ng mga checkpoints (it is all-inclusive because police personnel are manning these checkpoints) and it is part of our mandate to enforce the law,” he told the Philippine News Agency in an interview.
The gun ban is pursuant to Comelec Resolution No. 10728 and 10741 promulgated on Nov. 10, 2021 and Dec. 16, 2021, respectively.
These agency resolutions outline the guidelines for the implementation of prohibitions in bearing firearms and deadly weapons and the establishment of checkpoints to ensure that the gun ban is enforced.
Meanwhile, police personnel on detail as security for politicians and other government officials have been recalled to the Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office at the start of the election period, Mallari said.
“We will still provide them with the so-called area security, which means that when a government leader is visiting a particular town or city, police personnel will be deployed to that area,” he said.
Until such time that the Comelec has approved the pending requests of government officials, there will be no close-in security detail from the PNP for them, he added.
Source: Philippines News Agency
