By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan/Philippine News Agency
MANILA — More than 4,700 persons have been apprehended since the start of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) gun ban on January 13, the Philippine National Police (PNP) reported Friday.
PNP spokesperson, Col. Bernard Banac said as of 6 a.m. Friday, a total of 4,729 persons have been apprehended in 576,983 police operations since the implementation of the gun ban.
Of this number, 2,634 suspects were intercepted during police patrol responses, 977 through search warrants, and 723 during “Oplan Bakal, Sita, Galugad” operations.
Banac said the figure also includes 331 persons apprehended in checkpoints and 64 others during the serving of warrants of arrest.
He said 4,449 of those arrested are civilians while 79 were security guards; 75 were government and elected officials; 38 were police officers; 17 were military personnel; 12 were law enforcers; seven members of the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU), four members of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology; and nine foreign nationals.
Authorities have also arrested 31 persons from “threat groups” and eight from private armed groups.
Banac added that the PNP has so far confiscated a total of 3,942 firearms (small, light, and others — sumpak, improvised or homemade guns) and 35,967 deadly weapons, which include grenades and other explosives, bladed/pointed weapons, ammunition and gun replicas.
The mid-term elections will be held on May 13 but the gun ban will last until June 12, according to the Comelec.
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