MANILA, Philippines — An additional 100 soldiers have been deployed in Malabang, Lanao del Sur, which has been placed under the control of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Maj. Gen. Juvymax Uy, 6th Infantry Division (ID) and Joint Task Force Central commander, said the First Marine Brigade also dispatched two more companies in the town.
The Committee on the Ban on Firearms and Security Concerns of the Comelec had earlier placed Malabang and Tubaran in Lanao del Sur under the control of the poll body.
Intense political rivalry between two candidates for mayor was monitored in Malabang while a history of election-related violent incidents was reported in Tubaran.
Previous declaration of Comelec control in the area, politically motivated violence involving candidates or their supporters, and the presence of private armed groups and serious threat posed by communist and other rebel groups are among the grounds to declare an area under the control of the poll body.
Mayor Tomas Macapodi, whose brother Al-Rashid is running for mayor, thanked the 6th ID for deploying additional soldiers.
Gun ban violators hit 2,973
Meanwhile, 2,973 people have been arrested since Jan. 9 for violating the election gun ban, the Philippine National Police (PNP) reported yesterday.
The PNP said the gun ban violators were apprehended in 2,850 law enforcement operations.
A total of 2,864 of those arrested are civilians, 49 security guards, 17 PNP personnel and 17 soldiers. Twenty-six others were unidentified.
Among those arrested is a 15-year-old boy who was caught with a .38-caliber revolver in Trece Martires, Cavite on Monday.
The minor was taken into custody at around 7 p.m. for carrying the gun at a basketball court in Barangay Inocencio.
The PNP said 1,114 were arrested in Metro Manila, 329 in Calabarzon, 313 in Central Visayas, 273 in Central Luzon and 183 in Western Visayas.
Police confiscated 2,264 firearms, 975 bladed weapons, 111 explosives and 11,985 bullets.
The gun ban will be implemented until the end of the election period on June 8. – Emmanuel Tupas