FILE PHOTO: The Philippine National Police Headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City on Tuesday, June 15, 2021. Niño Jesus Orbeta/Philippine Daily Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines — A retired police official caught transporting 15 handguns and shotguns to Camp Crame, Quezon City, was arrested on Tuesday afternoon, according to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).
CIDG director Maj. Gen. Romeo Caramat opted not to disclose the identity of the former police officer but said personnel of the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters Gate 2 discovered 11 handguns and four shotguns in the suspect’s vehicle upon entrance inspection.
“Though the firearms are all legal ito ay nakapangalan sa isang security agency, pero wala po silang exemption from Commission on Elections (Comelec) [gun ban],” Caramat told reporters in a press briefing on Wednesday.
(Although the firearms are all legal and named after a security agency, it appears that he does not have a gun ban exemption from the Comelec gun ban.)
Caramat said CIDG has already started investigating what other violations the retired police official committed.
Meanwhile, PNP chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. instructed the director of the Headquarters Support Service to impose stricter inspection of vehicles going in and out of the police main office.
As of September 17, the PNP reported about 682 gun ban violators since August 28, or the start of the poll period for the 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE).
It added that arrested individuals will be charged for violating the provision in the Omnibus Election Code, which prohibits the unauthorized transportation of firearms and deadly weapons outside residences, businesses, and public places.
The ban started last August 28 and will take effect until November 29.
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