PROVINCIAL Commission on Elections Supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria said the application for gun ban exemption has already started Monday, June 5, for the coming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections.

Based on the Comelec calendar of activities for the October 30 BSKE,the gun ban will start on August 28 until November 29.

Comelec earlier said that opening the applications for gun ban exemption earlier or several months before the start of the election period will give them more time to assess the applications.

Ananoria said that the application for gun ban exemption can be accessed through the official website of the Comelec.

The poll body's Committee on the Ban on Firearms and Security Concerns (CBFSC) will be the one to give the exemption nationwide.

At present, among those exempted in the upcoming gun ban are high-ranking government officials which include the president and the vice president, the chief justice, senators, and members of the House of Representatives.

Also exempted are uniformed law enforcement personnel such as the Philippine National Police (PNP), and soldiers from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Meanwhile, as part of the preparations for the Barangay and SK polls, Ananoria said he will hold a meeting with the PNP and AFP in order to inform them about their schedules for the upcoming polls.

Also to be tackled in the meeting are localities in Negros Occidental that are likely to be tagged as election watchlist areas.*