Maguindanao Del Sur – A joint intensified COMELEC checkpoint operation conducted by the Maguindanao Del Sur Police Provincial Office (MDSPPO) and the 62nd Mechanized Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army resulted in the apprehension of a gun ban violator in Barangay Elian, Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Maguindanao Del Sur.
The operation, conducted pursuant to Republic Act No. 7166 and COMELEC Resolution No. 11067, aimed at enforcing election-related firearm regulations. During the checkpoint, personnel from the Datu Saudi Municipal Police Station (MPS) led by PCPT Joseph Cire M. Galarpe, Officer-in-Charge, and elements of the 62nd Mechanized Infantry Battalion led by 1LT Jeremy DM Aquino flagged down a red payong-payong motor tricycle without a plate number due to a suspicious bulge on the driver’s waistline.
Upon inspection, authorities discovered and confiscated one unit of a .45 caliber Norinco pistol with serial number 706119, two magazines containing nine live rounds of ammunition, and the unregistered tricycle. The suspect failed to provide legal documentation for the firearm, leading to his immediate arrest.
The confiscated evidence was documented and inventoried at the site in the presence of the suspect, witnessed by Barangay Chairman Hon. Anwar Q. Kedtag. The items will be submitted to the Regional Forensic Unit Bar for ballistic examination. The 33-year-old male suspect was taken to the Datu Saudi Ampatuan MPS for proper legal proceedings and will face charges for violating Republic Act No. 10591 in relation to COMELEC Resolution No. 10918.
In response to the successful operation, PCOL Ryan Bobby C. Paloma, APD of MDSPPO, commended the operatives for their continuous efforts in conducting checkpoint operations and implementing preventive measures to uphold the election gun ban.
“The MDSPPO, in coordination with other law enforcement agencies, will continue to conduct COMELEC checkpoints across the province to intercept and arrest individuals transporting and carrying firearms and deadly weapons without the necessary authorization from the Committee on the Ban on Firearms and Security Concerns,” PCOL Paloma stated.
