The Philippine National Police said yesterday that it did everything it could to warn the public on the implementation of the gun ban as the number of those arrested for violating the election security measure continues to increase.
As of yesterday, 3,105 persons have been arrested since the gun ban was implemented on Jan. 13 for the midterm elections on May 13. The gun ban will be lifted on June 12.
PNP spokesman Senior Supt. Bernard Banac said they have disseminated the information on the gun ban as early as last year, adding that it was even repeatedly announced in the media and social media.
“Unfortunately, there are still hard-headed people who defy this so they have to suffer the consequences,” said Banac.
He said that even in the PNP, there are still who did not follow the gun ban. This resulted in the arrest of 32 policemen.
On the other hand, a total of 2,924 civilians were arrested. There were also five soldiers arrested, 57 security guards, and 44 government employees.
Civilians will face criminal charges while policemen and government employees will face additional administrative charges which have a maximum penalty of dismissal from the service. (Aaron Recuenco)
