Of the total 83 gun ban violations in Western Visayas, recorded at the Police Region Office in Camp Martin Delgado in Iloilo City, 18 cases were from Negros Occidental. Seventeen were from Iloilo, 11 from Capiz, 10 from Aklan, and nine each from Antique and Guimaras.
Police Regional Director Wilfredo Dulay Sr. said data also showed that of the 83 gun ban cases, 69 were committed by civilians, eight by security guards, three by soldiers, two by PNP personnel and one by a government employee.
The operations on gun ban also yielded 98 assorted caliber of firearms, including eight high powered, 46 low powered and 44 homemade.
Dulay said the confiscated firearms and ammunitions will form parts of the evidences against 78 cases already filed in courts around Western Visayas.
"The figures of arrested gun ban violators show the effectiveness of our collective efforts in the conduct of checkpoint/chokepoint operations," he boasted.
The regional director also stressed that the strict implementation of the Comelec gun ban is an effective deterrence to the occurrence of election-related violence.
"We have received intelligence reports that some political candidates have already hired armed groups to be mobilized this election, and our police operatives are already closely monitoring the activities of these persons," he added.
He also enjoined the public to be vigilant in the campaign against loose firearms and existence of partisan armed groups.
"The concerted efforts of the police and people of Western Visayas are paramount in attaining our common goal for an honest, orderly and peaceful elections," he said.(EASD)
