PNP records 3,436 cases for violation of gun ban, liquor ban, and for vote buying and vote selling
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police recorded 3,436 cases filed against persons arrested for violation of the gun ban, liquor ban, and for vote buying and vote selling over the 152-day election period, it disclosed Friday.
In a statement, the PNP said it would provide full investigative support to the National Prosecution Service in building cases against persons arrested for violation of the Omnibus Election Code during the 2022 National and Local Elections.
“The law must be applied to all those who willfully violated election laws through prohibited acts,” PNP Officer-in-Charge, Police Lt. Gen. Vicente Danao Jr. said.
As the election period officially concluded on midnight of June 8, the PNP has accounted for a total of 3,829 arrested persons for various violations of COMELEC Resolutions from January 9 through June 8, 2022.
Of those arrested, there were:
- 3,651 violators of the Gun Ban
- 128 violators of the Liquor ban
- 50 suspects in election fraud for alleged vote-buying or selling
Among arrested gun ban violators were 50 police and military personnel, 61 security guards, 3,513 civilians, and 27 others.
During the entire 152-day election Gun Ban period, the PNP added that it confiscated an assortment of 2,812 firearms, 17,401 rounds of assorted live ammunition, 140 explosive devices, and 1,165 bladed deadly weapons, records culled by the PNP Command Center showed.
“The huge hoard of confiscated firearms, ammunition and explosives alone is enough firepower to arm a sizable force that can pose a very serious threat to peace and security,” Danao said.
Despite the arrests and incidents, the PNP OIC went on to claim that it was still fair to say that the election period was "generally peaceful and orderly."
Danao noted that during the 2022 election period, only 27 validated Election-Related Incidents were recorded, "which pales in comparison with the 133 incidents recorded in 2019 and 166 in 2010."
The PNP-OIC claimed that the crime environment during the 2022 election period showed a significant decrease of 59,115 or 41.8% in the number of Total Peace and Order Index compared to the same period in 2016, though this was before the coronavirus pandemic shuttered people at home.
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