Cafgus exempted from election gun ban - Comelec

Members of the Citizens’ Armed Forces Geographical Unit (Cafgu) have been exempted from the nationwide implementation of the gun ban, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said on Tuesday. Through Resolution 8742, the poll body decided to allow Cafgu members to carry firearms during the election period since they are auxiliary units of the military which is exempted from the gun ban, according to Comelec commissioner Lucenito Tagle. “These Cafgus are under the Armed Forces of the Philippines. When we issued a certificate of authority to the AFP, we indicated there that all units are authorized to carry firearms, and Cafgus are included in these units," Tagle said. The Comelec, however, instructed the AFP to be stricter in implementing the gun ban exemptions for Cafgu members to ensure that the firearms do not end up in the possession of private armies. “The military is answerable to us. We told them to be stricter in dealing with Cafgus," Tagle said in Filipino. Sanctions The military, for its part, vowed strict compliance with the gun ban, saying violators within its ranks - Cafgus included - will be dealt with accordingly. “Definitely, they [violators] will have an administrative case," said AFP public affairs office chief Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr. in an interview in Camp Aguinaldo. At least 71 violators have already been arrested since the start of the implementation of the gun ban, according to the Philippine National Police (PNP). Of these, six were soldiers. Brawner said the military exerted all its efforts to inform the soldiers about the gun ban, adding that they have been telling educating them as early as November last year. “It's possible that they merely forgot that it [gun ban] will start January 10," he said, referring to the arrested soldiers. Exempted Aside from Cafgu members, also exempted from the gun ban are the Presidential Security Group, Bureau of Fire Protection, security forces of the Optical Media Board, and security personnel of accredited foreign diplomatic corps. The nationwide gun ban took effect Sunday, January 10, and will last until June 9. It is implemented in connection with the May 2010 elections. Under Resolution 1814, the hiring of bodyguards by candidates and private individuals is also prohibited. - KBK, GMANews.TV