PNP: Comelec gun ban violators nearing 500

Nearly 500 people, eight of them policemen, have been arrested for violating a gun ban being enforced in time for the Oct. 25 barangay (village) and Sangguniang Kabataan (youth council) elections, the Philippine National Police said Saturday. PNP spokesman Senior Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr. said the violators include 437 private individuals, five soldiers, and 12 government officials and employees. “Nasamsam sa kanilang pag-iingat napakaraming baril at pampasabog. Ito dapat patuloy na paigtingin ng PNP habang papalapit ang eleksyon," he said on government-run dzRB radio. (They also yielded various firearms and explosives. We will have to intensify our enforcement of the gun ban as the polls draw closer.) The PNP started enforcing a gun ban for the Oct. 25 elections last September 25. On the other hand, Cruz said the PNP will deploy 85 percent of its personnel in the field on Election Day, to ensure clean and orderly elections. “This is separate from the soldiers to be deployed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines," he said. In the meantime, Cruz said PNP chief Director General Raul Bacalzo ordered tighter security to prevent the killing of candidates in the upcoming elections. He called on candidates not to resort to violence or get too emotional. “Alalahanin natin ito eleksyon lamang... we should not resort to violence or undesirable means to be elected to office. Di nagtatapos sa paging halal na opisyal ang hiling natin makapagsilbi sa taumbayan," he said. (This is just an election. We should not resort to violence or undesirable means to be elected to office. The elections should not be seen as the only way of rendering service to the public.) “Let us all work together to ensure the election will be clean and the result will reflect the sentiments of the voters," he added. — LBG, GMANews.TV