MANILA, Philippines — Barely two weeks after the gun ban period started, the Philippine National Police (PNP) in its election-related monitoring said that gun ban violators rose to 364.
As of Friday, January 24, the PNP said that the gun ban violators include 343 civilians, 10 security guards, one PNP personnel, four Armed Forces of the Philippines personnel, two other law enforcement authorities, one appointed government official, and three foreign nationals.
READ: PNP logs 5 possible poll-related incidents; gun ban violators exceed 300
Further, PNP confiscated 367 firearms, including 272 small arms, one light weapon, seven explosives, and 87 other types of firearms.
READ: Police units ordered to dismantle private armies by March
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) established 90,721 checkpoints across the country. The gun ban period started last January 12 as the election period for the May 2025 polls began.
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The imposition of a gun ban is aimed at ensuring peace and order, as the government believes it could lessen gun-related violence during the upcoming midterm polls.
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PNP data shows that the police arrested 8,628 people for violating the Firearm and Ammunition Regulation Act from January to November 2024.
–PNP Chief Gen. Rommel Marbil previously ordered to intensify efforts to dismantle private armed groups by March.