• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
A total of 14 persons were arrested for violating the Comelec gun ban in Bacolod City, from January 12 to May 3 this year.
Four of the arrested gun ban violators were nabbed through police responses, two arrested in pursuit operations, and two others were nabbed incidental to apprehensions.
The Bacolod City Police Office reported the confiscation of 14 assorted firearms.
Violations of the gun ban during an election period, which are considered election offenses, carry penalties of one to six years imprisonment, disqualification from holding public office, and deprivation of the right to suffrage.
The police said that its imposition of a gun ban is aimed at ensuring peace and order, as the government believes it could lessen gun-related violence during the May 12 polls.*
