• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
A 24-year-old Bacoleño was the first gun ban violator arrested by the police in Negros Occidental, on the first day of the Comelec firearms ban implementation on January 12.
The arrested suspect, identified as Archie, 24, of Barangay Mansilingan, Bacolod City, was spotted by operatives of Police Station 6 operatives at Luzuriaga Street, Brgy. 28, in possession of an improvised firearm, locally known as ‘pugakhang,’ which was loaded with 20-gauge shotgun ammunition.
Gun ban checkpoints will be in place during the election period from Jan. 12 to June 11.
On the other hand, the campaign against loose firearms by the police led to the arrest of a suspect on Jan. 12 at Purok Masinadyahon in Brgy. Maquiling, Sagay City.
The arrest of the suspect identified only as alias Mokmok, a 62-year-old fish vendor, yielded a caliber .38 revolver with three rounds of ammunition.*