No gun ban violators yet

FOR more than a week since the Commission on Elections (Comelec) gun ban implementation, the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (Cocpo) has not yet apprehended any gun ban violators, a police official said.

Officer-in-charge City Police Director Graciano Mijares is thankful with this development, but disclosed that there were at least seven undocumented firearms being surrendered to them by the owners.

“Some of the firearms surrendered has expired license,” he added.

Mijares attributed this development to the strict campaign and information disseminations program of the Philippine National Police, as well as member of the media.

After he was appointed as Cocpo OIC, Mijares strengthened police visibility and mobile patrol in the different areas in the city, particularly crime prone areas, including the setup of checkpoints to ensure that no violators can easily go by and elude from the law enforcers.

He also deployed some 800 Cocpo personnel to secure crowded places like terminals, seaports, airport, malls, churches and other areas where people converge.

These law enforcers will also conduct foot patrol and checkpoint operations to ensure public safety.

Meanwhile, elements of Talakag Municipal Police Station in Bukidnon arrested one Jojo S. Himanan, 19, a resident of Sitio Tinaytayan, San Miguel, Talakag Bukidnon, for violation of Comelec gun ban.

Himanan was arrested over the weekend at 3:05 p.m. while the police were conducting a mobile patrol in the area. Confiscated from his possession was a homemade shotgun with five live ammunitions.

The suspect is now detained at the detention facility of Talakag Municipal Station while the firearm was turned over to the Regional Crime Laboratory-Northern Mindanao office for ballistic examination.

Another violator was arrested by the Provincial Public Safety Company from Misamis Occidental and Police Regional Office’s Public Safety Battalion in a joint checkpoint operation.

Arrested was Bandillo P. Rudivillo, 51, of Barangay Catadman, Ozamiz City. Recovered from his possession was a unit of AP-9 .9mm caliber Luger automatic pistol with 20 live ammunitions.

Initial investigation and upon verification, suspect failed to present any legal documents of the firearms, thus he was detained at the Provincial Public Safety Company. (Annabelle L. Ricalde)