Month-long gun ban nets 761 violators

MANILA, Philippines - Police arrested yesterday 21 people carrying guns outside their homes, bringing to 761 the number of violators, a month after the Commission on Elections (Comelec) imposed a nationwide gun ban for the May 10 polls.

Four policemen were among those arrested at checkpoints, the National Election Monitoring and Action Center (NEMAC) said.

Chief Superintendent Leonardo Espina, Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesman, said Manila policemen also arrested eight members of the Bonifacio Salvatierra carjack gang on Tuesday night.

First to fall was Rolly Bartolo, 40, who was arrested after his group forcibly took a Mitsubishi Montero along Oroquieta street in Manila.

Police seized a cal. 45 pistol from him.

Seven more suspected gang members were later arrested and a cal. 45 pistol and Walther cal. 22 pistol were seized from them.

Police also recovered from the gang a gray Hyundai car with license plate ZKS-928, a Mitsubishi Montero SUV (NZI-624), and red Honda Enduro motorcycle.

PNP chief Director General Jesus Verzosa said of the 761 violators, 53 were policemen, 29 soldiers, 31 government officials and 648 were civilians.

Police seized from them 635 firearms, 24 explosive devices, 169 bladed weapons, and 762 gun replicas.

Verzosa warned police commanders that they would be held administratively liable for their men’s continued disregard of the gun ban.

“I am serving notice to all police commanders that appropriate administrative sanctions will be meted against those whose subordinates have been arrested in violation of the election gun ban, as a consequence of the commander’s apparent failure to exercise proper supervision over their men,” he said.

Verzosa said he would invoke the doctrine of command responsibility to enforce a degree of accountability on police commanders.

Police regional directors have been instructed to relieve policemen arrested for violating the gun ban and make them undergo 30 days of character and aptitude development training, he added.

Verzosa said law enforcers are expected to uphold the law.

“It is therefore unacceptable for law enforcers to become law breakers,” he said.