6 days ago
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Mark Ernest Villeza - The Philippine Star
March 10, 2025 | 12:00am
File photo shows various firearms.
STAR / File
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police reported yesterday that 1,563 firearms have been confiscated since the Commission on Elections (Comelec) gun ban took effect.
Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo, PNP spokesperson and Central Luzon police director, said as of March 7, the National Election Monitoring and Action Center has recorded 24 suspected election-related incidents. Of these, 11 were confirmed election-related, 11 were confirmed as non-ERIs, and two are still under validation.
Of the 11 validated ERIs, nine involved violent incidents, including shootings and stabbings, while the remaining two which occurred in Region 6 were classified as non-violent, specifically malicious mischief and grave threats.
Fajardo said the PNP is waiting for the Comelec to release an official update on the list of areas of concern for the upcoming midterm elections.
“The second joint meeting of the task force, led by the Comelec chairperson, included the initial second list of recommended areas with election concerns. This will be submitted to the Committee on Gun Ban and Security Concerns for validation and assessment before being forwarded to the Comelec en banc, which will make the final decision,” Fajardo said in an interview over dzBB.
She noted while the total number of areas of concern has not increased, some areas previously categorized as orange have been downgraded to yellow.
Fajardo also said of the 1,563 firearms seized, 134 were confiscated at checkpoints, while the majority were recovered through police operations, including anti-illegal drug operations, buy-busts involving firearms, police responses, and other law enforcement actions.
The PNP continues to enforce the Comelec gun ban, which is in effect up to June 11, 2025.
