A total of 14 persons have been arrested for illegal possession of firearms in various areas in in Bohol amid the implementation of the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) gun ban.
Senior Insp. Rufo Potane, chief of the Community Relations Branch of the Bohol Provincial Police Office (BPPO), told dyRD Balita that only one of the 14 suspects was arrested through a security checkpoint.
The other 13 who were caught in possession of firearms were arrested through various police operations, including drug busts, conducted since April 14, the official start of the election period.
Based on data from the BPPO, various firearms including several pieces of .45 and 9mm pistols and .38 and .22 caliber revolvers were seized from the suspects.
The said firearms were confiscated in Ubay, Buenavista, Tubigon and Tagbilaran City.
In a separate report, police indicated that they also seized a shotgun and various gun parts and ammunition from a 90-year-old gunsmith in Ubay earlier this week.
According to Potane, the confiscation of guns, particularly unlicensed ones, will help curb crimes during the election period.
Personnel from the BPPO and the military in Bohol have been deployed to help maintain peace and order in various localities during the polls on May 14 and the days leading to the electoral exercise.
Over 9oo police personnel from Cebu were deployed to Bohol to augment local security forces. (RT)