Gun ban takes effect for Sinulog

CEBU, Philippines - Police have declared a special gun ban in all of Cebu City as it places the island under full alert for the Sinulog festivities.

At the same time, the “rest of Central Visayas will also be on heightened alert,” said Police Regional Office 7 deputy for Operations, Sr. Supt. Louie Oppus. This means all policemen will be made to report for duty and would not be allowed to take a leave of absence.

“Walay pahulay atong mga police,” Oppus said.

Following this directive, he said all chiefs of police will be required to issue reports every four hours, which will contain personnel count and situation reports.

This way, he can easily check for problems regarding operations in specific areas.

The special gun ban was implemented yesterday following approval from Camp Crame. Oppus said Police Director General Nicanor Bartolome signed the request for the ban just yesterday morning. The ban will stay in effect until January 26.

This means all permits to carry firearms outside residence (PTCFOR) will all be canceled in order to prevent untoward incidents, Oppus said.

Those who will defy the said gun ban will be arrested and will face charges of illegal possession of firearms.

Policemen in civilian clothes who are in covert operations are exempted from the ban but must bring with them their patrol orders at all times.

The patrol orders, Oppus said, should contain “specific” details such as the date of assignment and the attire the operative needs to wear.

“We are very strict even to our own men,” he said.

The same policy is also applicable to personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Central Command who are deployed in the city augmentation force.

City Police Director Melvin Ramon Buenafe also said the implementation of the gun ban during the annual Sinulog celebration has proved to be very effective in decreasing criminal activities.

“This is one of the police good practices that we would want to continue,” Buenafe said.  (FREEMAN)