BAGUIO CITY, (PNA) — Four persons, one of them a minor, have already violated the total gun ban here imposed by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), in view of the on-going campaign period for the candidates of the officials of barangay (cluster of villages known as “sitios”) who will be elected on October 28.
Police Insp. Virgilio Hidalgo, public information officer of the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO), said the the two latest suspects of gun ban violation were arrested Saturday at a pension house in Salud Mitra barangay here.
The arrested suspects were identified as Christopher Pakiwon, 37, a native of Banaue, Ifugao; and Anthony de la Pena, 36, of Castillejos, Zambales.
Arresting policemen said residents in the area heard gunshots from the place where the duo were staying.
Further investigations are conducted as Pakiwon was initially determined as member of a unit of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and only one hand gun was seized in the alleged crime scene.
Likewise, another gun ban suspect was a 17-year old male person in Engineers Hill here allegedly accidentally shot Saturday night another minor in the shoulder during a drinking spree.
Policemen who responded to the crime scene were able to recover the .38 caliber revolver used and the incident is subject to further inquest by the Baguio Prosecutors Office.
Identities of the minors involved were withheld in observance of the law which protects children in conflict of law (CICL).
The fourth suspect who was also arrested Saturday night was identified as Dario Tegwa, 28, a native of Mountain Province who yielded an unlicensed revolver when frisked by lawmen on patrol along Tacay Road, Quezon Hill here.
Hidalgo said the careful approach on the evidence against these suspects was in line with the recent coordination between the government prosecutors and police investigators for the pursuit of more efficient administration of justice.
He also said that the arrests of these persons is part of the results of the BCPO Oplan “SAFE” which stands for Secured And Fair Elections, or an all-out campaign to keep the peace in the city during the period of barangay elections.