By Jennifer P. Rendon
The barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) might be over and done, but the gun ban is still very much on.
In fact, the Police Regional Office (PRO)-6 continues to arrest gun ban violators almost on a daily basis.
The gun ban, which started August 28, will run until November 29.
As of 6 a.m. of Nov. 3, police reported that 122 persons violated the Commission on Elections (Comelec) gun ban rule.
Civilians who breached the gun ban are now at 115 while four violators are security guards.
Another three violators are lumped under the category of other law enforcement agencies (OLEA). One OLEA violator is a member of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) who was arrested in Iloilo City while the other one is a provincial guard from Aklan province and another is a policeman.
No elected government official (EGO) was arrested.
The region’s two biggest provinces still accounted for the majority of arrests.
The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Police Office (NOCPPO) topped the number of arrests with 32 while the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) logged 21; Iloilo Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) with 18; City Police Office (ICPO) with 16; Capiz PPO with 14; Aklan PPO with 11; Guimaras PPO and Regional Mobile Force Battalion (RFMB) 6 with four each; and Antique PPO with two.
Among others, they were or will be charged for violation of Comelec Resolution No. 10918, which prohibits the bearing, carrying, or transporting firearms and other deadly weapons outside residence or place of business, and in all public places; employing, availing, or engaging the services of security personnel and bodyguards; and transporting or delivering firearms and explosives, including its parts, ammunition, and/ or components.