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Thursday, October 30, 2003
Mayor Emano orders gun ban
By Lizanilla Amarga
TO FURTHER secure the safety and welfare of its constituents and visitors, the City Hall's top honcho ordered a gun ban in the City of Friendship Wednesday.
Mayor Vicente Emano said Cagayan de Oro city is fast acquiring the reputation of being a "City for Conferences", a "Malling City" and a place for rest and recreation not just nationwide but worldwide.
He cited the two major gatherings ongoing for this week alone: the 12th Mindanao Business Conference in Pryce Plaza and the Government Association of Certified Public Accountants (GACPA) in Xavier Heights Country Club.
Inevitably, the mayor said more and more local executives who have armed bodyguards are now roaming in the city.
"Tungod niini ang katawhan ug ang atong mga bisita magakahadlok na hinoon (Because of these firearm-carrying individuals, my constituents and our visitors are now apprehensive)," he said.
Because of this, Emano said he is issuing an executive order based on City Ordinances Nos. 6626-98 and 8205-2002 to ban or prohibit the carrying of guns and firearms in the city.
Though he understands that the firearms brought in by local executives and their hired men are for protection purposes, the mayor said there will have to be some rules and regulations to distinguish them from those who are not supposed to be carrying guns or other firearms in the city.
"Starting today (Wednesday), only our police, military and my small special patrol force will be allowed to carry guns and other firearms in the city," he said in the dialect Wednesday.
The mayor said local executives and members of their security team may enter the city provided that they must register their firearm at the Cagayan de Oro City Police (Cocpo) or the nearest police precint.
Emano said he has already directed Cocpo acting director Senior Insp. Antonio Montalba to enforce strictly the ban and to mobilize all police precints for its effective implementation.
He has also asked the regional office of the PNP 10 and the 4th Infantry Division to help the Cocpo in carrying out the gun ban.
However, 4th ID chief Maj. Gen. Cristolito Balaoing told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro that his office just received the executive order yesterday.
"The Executive Order is dated October 29, that is today (Wednesday) and we just received it... it does not contain any implementing rules or guidelines yet," he said.
Balaoing said there is a need to sit down with the police and Mayor Emano to work out the specifics on how to go about the implementation of this Executive Order.
He said their agencies have to get their acts together and launch a full information campaign on this latest security measure as to help encourage people to understand the situation and coordinate with them.
"We need to have a uniformed application and even train people to properly search guns and firearms not just those which are tucked in their clothes but also those hidden in their vehicles," he said.
The general said they will have to discuss other matters also like where every confiscated gun or firearm will be brought afterwards among others.
(October 30, 2003 issue)
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