A VILLAGE official and two fishermen were separately arrested at random checkpoints of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for gun ban violation in the province of Zamboanga Sibugay.

Arrested were Reynaldo Pañares, 43, village official of Kima, Payao town; and, Yusop Juple, 53, and Jerham Susulan, 21, both fishermen.

Police Brigadier General Emmanuel Luis Licup, Police Regional Office-Zamboanga Peninsula director, said Pañares was arrested around 12:10 a.m. Thursday along the national highway in Purok 1 in the village of Kimos, Siay, Zamboanga Sibugay.

Licup said Pañares was driving a truck when he was stopped and found to be in possession of caliber .45 pistol with 17 rounds of ammunition.

Juple and Susulan were arrested by joint police and military personnel manning a checkpoint around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the village of San Roque, Mabuhay, Zamboanga Sibugay.

They were caught in possession of a Springfield and M-16 Armalite rifle with ammunition.

Licup said all three gun ban violators were detained pending the filing of charges against them. (Bong Garcia)