MANILA, Philippines — Two foreign nationals were among 225 people arrested for violating the nationwide gun ban, the Commission on Elections reported yesterday.
Comelec Chairman George Garcia said the 225 were arrested from Jan. 12 to 18, for illegally carrying firearms outside their homes in the first week of the implementation of the gun ban.
Garcia said a total of 228 firearms and explosives, as well as over a thousand rounds of ammunition have been confiscated.
A total of 48,510 Comelec checkpoints have been established nationwide, while over 200 gun ban operations were conducted in connection with the midterm polls.
Last Friday alone, 28 individuals were arrested for gun ban violations, while 26 firearms were confiscated.
Metro Manila violators
In Metro Manila, 59 people were arrested for violating the gun ban, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) reported yesterday, with 60 assorted firearms confiscated from various parts of the city since Jan. 12.
NCRPO director Brig. Gen. Anthony Aberin said 24 of the firearms were seized in various operations in Manila, while two were confiscated at checkpoints in southern Metro Manila. The other guns were recovered in other parts of the region.
Aberin attributed the seizure to the establishment of more checkpoints under the control of the Comelec.
There are about 2,164 checkpoints manned by police in Metro Manila, he reported.
“The NCRPO will maximize the conduct of these checkpoints in coordination with the Comelec pursuant to our intensified security preparations for the incoming elections,” Aberin said in a statement.
NPO to help print ballots
To address the delay in the printing of the 73 million ballots for the midterm elections, the Comelec has deputized the National Printing Office (NPO) to help in the printing.
Garcia said the commission is coming out with the resolution for the deputization of the NPO when the ballot printing resumes tomorrow.
According to the poll chief, Comelec is taking all measures to speed up the process of ballot printing.
“There are processes that can be bypassed legally and can be accomplished faster. Therefore, anything the Comelec wants done, the NPO has been deputized to do,” he added.
Garcia noted the NPO already conducted a test on whether ballots printed by their machines would be accepted by the automated counting machines, and the outcome was positive.
He said the Comelec intends to resume ballot printing on Wednesday to avoid further delay and enable the poll body to get back on track with preparations.
By using the NPO printing machines, Garcia said, the Comelec expects to print up to 1.5 million ballots daily. — Emmanuel Tupas