NATIONAL Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director, Major General Felipe R. Natividad on Thursday committed to ensure the conviction of over 1,300 persons arrested for violating the gun ban in Metro Manila from January 9 to June 8 this year.

According to the Metro Manila police director, he is guaranteeing the public that the gun ban offenders will be punished in accordance with existing laws due to the air-tight complaints filed against them by their arresting officers from the NCRPO.

Natividad said that although they recorded ‘zero election-related incidents’ in the metropolis during the five-month long gun ban, they were able to arrest a total of 1,328 offenders. Confiscated from the law violators were 679 firearms and 4,799 other deadly weapons.

The official said the arrests were made as a result of 30,742 checkpoints and 1,190 other police operations conducted by the five NCRPO districts and other operating units in Metro Manila.

In the light of the gun ban arrests, Natividad said he has ordered his men to dedicate their all-out effort to make sure that all legal proceedings must be religiously attended by the arresting officers.

“We commit to ensure that every single case filed in court against gun ban offenders who flagrantly violated the prohibition on the carrying of firearms outside residence during the election period must produce conviction. We will make no distinction. Regardless of status in life, or connections for arrested government officers, charges shall be filed accordingly,” he said.

According to the official, no less than Philippine National Police Officer-in-Charge (PNP-OIC), Lieutenant General Vicente D. Danao Jr. had said that he wants the ‘certainty of punishment’ for over 3,600 gun ban violators arrested across the country during the past election period.

“I would like to thank our citizenry for their cooperation and our men for their unwavering effort in keeping National and Local Elections 2022 safe and secured. Despite this occurrence, we had a generally peaceful and successful National and Local Elections 2022,” he said.

The top cop said they will continue to provide full investigative support to the National Prosecution Service to establish airtight cases against the persons arrested for violation of the Omnibus Election Code and other laws during the just concluded 152-day election period for the 2022 National and Local Elections.

“While it is rightful to declare the 2022 elections as generally peaceful and orderly, the law must be applied to all those who willfully violated election laws through prohibited acts,” Lt. Gen. Danao said.

The PNP-OIC referred to the 3,436 cases filed by the PNP against persons arrested for violation of the gun ban, liquor ban and for vote-buying and vote-selling.

As the election period officially concluded midnight of June 8 , the PNP accounted for a total of 3,829 persons arrested for violation of various Comelec resolutions during the election period.

“The law enforcement pillar of the Criminal Justice System has effectively discharged its function to arrest violators of the law, the next step is to ensure ‘successful prosecution’ of the offenders,” Danao said.

The lawbreakers include 3,651 violators of the gun ban, 128 violators of the liquor ban and 50 suspects in election fraud for alleged vote-buying or selling.

Those arrested for unauthorized carrying of firearms and other deadly weapons during the election period include 28 policemen, 22 Armed Forces personnel, 61 security guards; 3,513 civilians, and 27 others.

During the entire 152-day election period, the PNP confiscated 2,812 firearm including 86 light weapon and 2,705 handguns, 17,401 rounds of assorted live ammunition, 140 explosive devices, and 1,265 bladed deadly weapons, records culled by the PNP Command Center showed.

“By taking away these instruments of violence, crime, and oppression from the hands of unauthorized individuals, criminal elements and partisan armed groups, the PNP ably ensured safe and secure elections, free from imminent threats to peace,” Danao said.

“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,” he added.

According to the PNP-OIC, their strict enforcement of the nationwide gun ban contributed significantly to the reduction of election-related violent incidents during the 2022 polls.

Danao noted that during the 2022 election period, only 27 validated Election-Related Incidents were recorded, which pales in comparison with the 133 ERI recorded in 2019 and 166 ERI in 2010.

The PNP-OIC further explained that the crime environment during the 2022 election period showed a significant decrease of 59,115 or 41.75 percent in the number of Total Peace and Order Index compared with the period in 2016. The number of focus crimes also went down by 42,616 or 73.98 percent during the two comparative periods, he added.

The NCRPO accounted for the most number of violators with 1,322 followed by the Police Regional Office 4-A in Calabarzon region under Brigadier Gen. Antonio C. Yarra with 397.

The PRO7 in Central Visayas headed by Brig. Gen. Roque Edgardo DP Vega apprehended 397 offenders followed by the PRO3 in Central Luzon under Brig. Gen. Matthew P. Baccay with 244.

The PRO6 in Western Visayas headed by Brig. Gen. Flynn E. Dongbo accounted for 218 offenders.

The arrested violators are facing charges for violation of the Omnibus Election Code and Republic Act 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulations Act of 2013 or RA 9516 or illegal possession of explosives depending on the evidence recovered from their possession during checkpoints, service of warrants of arrest of search warrants, police interdiction and other operations, said Danao.