By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan/ PNA
MANILA – More than 2,000 persons have been arrested for violating the election gun ban, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said Friday.
Police Col. Bernard Banac, PNP spokesperson, said as of 6 a.m. Thursday, some 2,075 persons have been apprehended in 231,865 police operations since the implementation of the gun ban being imposed by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) since January 13.
Of the number, 1,130 suspects were intercepted during police patrol operations, 369 through search warrants, and 354 during “Oplan Bakal, Sita, Galugad” operation.
Banac said the figure included 199 persons apprehended in checkpoints and 23 others during the serving of warrants of arrest since the gun ban started.
He said 1,962 of those arrested are civilians while the rest are: 41 security guards, 27 government and elected officials, 22 police officers, three from the military, five law enforcers, and a member of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.
Authorities have also arrested nine persons from “threat groups” and two from private armed groups.
Banac added that the PNP has so far confiscated 1,692 firearms and 13,699 deadly weapons, grenades and other explosives, firearm replicas, bladed/pointed weapons, and ammunition.
The mid-term elections will be held on May 13 but the gun ban will last until June 12, according to the Comelec.
