Over 1,000 guns seized, surrendered in Caraga – police

MANILA, Philippines — The Caraga Police Regional Office has recovered a total of 1,027 firearms in a series of police operations since the start of the election period last January 13.

During the presentation of recovered guns at Camp Rodriguez in Butuan City on Monday, Caraga police director Brigadier General Gilberto Cruz said 89 firearms were confiscated during the implementation of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) gun ban, while 938 firearms were turned over to the police by different individuals as of March 29.

He said 39 of the surrendered firearms were from politicians.

The Police Regional Office in Caraga has recovered a total of 1,027 firearms in the implementation of the Comelec gun ban since January 13 until March 29. 🎥: PRO-13 pic.twitter.com/mSpdyWKwCx

— Cathrine Gonzales (@cgonzalesINQ) April 1, 2019

According to Cruz, the Caraga police have also arrested 75 violators of the Comelec gun ban and another 540 persons for other violations.

“If gun owners fail to surrender their firearms, they will be subjected to our police operations like the implementation of search warrant. We ensure that these loose firearms shall not be used in the commission of crimes and other illegal activities,” Cruz said.

He added the police are expected to recover more loose firearms and arrest more wanted persons in the coming months as they intensify their operations. /kga