41 nabbed for Comelec gun ban

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (Nocppo) here has arrested 41 violators of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) gun ban, as of November 29.

Based on the data from Nocppo, most of the apprehension was from police responses with 15 violators, followed by 11 violators in buy-bust operations, 7 in checkpoint operations, 4 through Oplan Sita, 2 through search incidental to arrest of wanted person, and 1 each through search warrant and search incidental to arrest of a crime.

Oplan Sita is a random inspection of policemen on individuals at checkpoint areas.

The most number of violators were reported in Talisay City with 6, followed by Ilog town with 5, Kabankalan City with 4, and 3 each in the town of Don Salvador Benedicto, and the cities of Himamaylan, Silay, and San Carlos.

Two violators each were also reported in the cities of Sagay, Victorias, and Bago, and the town of E.B. Magalona, and one each in the cities of La Carlota, Sipalay, and the municipalities of Candoni, Moises Padilla, Murcia, and Toboso.

The first violator in the province was arrested in Sagay City through a police response on September 2, and the latest apprehension was in Silay City on November 20, also through a police response.

The Comelec set the gun ban period from August 28 until November 29, which coincided with the election period during the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) on October 30.