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Miriam wants Senate inquiry on gun ban in Iloilo towns


Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago has filed a resolution seeking a Senate inquiry into the legality of the gun ban imposed in eight towns in the province of Iloilo. In a statement released Monday, Santiago said she filed Senate Resolution No. 531 because there was supposedly no investigation, public consultation, or inquiry conducted to determine whether it was "necessary, reasonable, or sound" to impose a gun ban in eight Iloilo towns. She explained that the police provincial director, governor, and the mayors of the towns affected by the ban should have been consulted because they are in the best position to know the peace and order situation in their areas. Santiago, who comes from Ilolilo City, said the gun ban in the towns of Ajuy, Sara, Estancia, Balasan, Carles, Concepcion, Batad, and San Dionisio was imposed by Western Visayas Police Director Cipriano Querol Jr. and was approved by Philippine National Police chief Director General Raul Bacalzo. She said the towns mentioned were all within the fifth congressional district of Iloilo, one of the most contested areas during elections. The senator noted, however, that the towns of Barotac Viejo, San Rafael, and Lemery were excluded in the ban despite being in the same district. The stated reason for the ban was to allegedly curb loose firearms and the rise of criminality in those areas. Under the ban, only members of the PNP, military, and other law enforcement agencies on official business and wearing the prescribed uniforms shall be allowed to carry firearms. Previous media reports, however, have quoted Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor as saying that the gun ban was "wrong, reckless, and baseless." He added that there was no situation in the said towns that would warrant the imposition of a gun ban. — Kimberly Jane Tan/RSJ, GMA News

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