A MAN who pretended to be a policeman was arrested for violating the gun ban of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Lopez Jaena Street at Barangay Zone 4 in Cadiz City, Negros Occidental early Saturday.
Collared was Jonathan Sison, 33, of Barangay Cabahug. He was the first violator of Comelec gun ban in Western Visayas.
Chief Inspector Rocky Desear, city police chief, said they were conducting Oplan Bakal Sita around 1 a.m. when they flagged down the suspect after seeing him wearing an athletic police uniform.
When checked, Sison failed to present a valid Identification card that would confirm his identity.
“The suspect claimed that the shirt was given to him by someone, whom he refused to name,” Desear said.
Police confiscated from him a Smith and Wesson magnum .357 caliber revolver with five live ammunition that was tucked around his waist.
Desear said charges for violation of Comelec gun ban, illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, and illegal use of uniform will be filed against Sison, who is detained at the station.
Meanwhile, Alex Mendis, 39, of La Salle Ville Subdivision, Barangay Mansilingan, Bacolod City was arrested for illegal possession of deadly weapons at Panaad Park and Stadium Saturday night.
Mendis was caught in possession of a 10-inch jungle knife and 12-inch scythe upon entering the venue around 8:20 p.m. He is detained at Police Station 7.
On April 14, a total of 147 police stations in the region conducted simultaneous Comelec checkpoints effective 12 midnight, together with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Comelec.
Chief Superintendent Cesar Binag, regional director of Police Office - Western Visayas (PRO-6), said some checkpoint operations were terminated early due to normal condition, the absence of threat and the inactivity in some road and highways from midnight until morning.
In areas where the conduct of checkpoints is not feasible, units were again reminded to coordinate with their AFP counterparts.
Generally, the simultaneous checkpoint operations were successful, Binag said.