
FILE PHOTO: Police officers at a Comelec checkpoint, which are set up to implement the poll body’s gun ban and enforce stricter security during the election period, in this file photo taken on April 4, 2022. INQUIRER file photo / NINO JESUS ORBETA
MANILA, Philippines — The total number of gun ban violators has risen to 535, according to data from the Philippine National Police (PNP) released on Friday.
As of Thursday, the PNP tallied the following violators:
- 506 civilians
- 18 security guards
- Four Armed Forces of the Philippines personnel
- Four foreign nationals
- Two personnel of other law enforcement agencies
- One PNP personnel
The National Capital Region, Central Luzon and Central Visayas still had the most number of violators at 147, 105 and 69, respectively.
PNP: 408 gun ban violators nabbed, so far
Authorities confiscated 537 firearms, which are the following:
- 208 revolvers
- 166 pistols
- 25 replica guns
- 13 class A firearms
- 11 explosives
- Six shotguns
- Four rifles
- 104 other types of firearms
The firearms were seized in 226 police response operations, 64 anti-illegal drug operations, 62 checkpoint operations, 35 buy-bust operations, and 150 other law enforcement operations.
Further, the police force reported conducting 127,926 Commission on Elections (Comelec) checkpoints as of Jan. 30.
The PNP also recorded three suspected election-related incidents: one each in Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley and Western Visayas.
One election-related incident was validated in Western Visayas.
Meanwhile, three non-election related incidents were validated in the same region and another in Soccsksargen.
The police force did not disclose further details about the said incidents.
More security guards caught violating ban
Previously, the number of security guards reported to have violated the ban was 10. The latest numbers showed an increase of eight.
“Our numbers with security guards have rather risen,” PNP Public Information Office chief Col. Randulf Tuaño said in Filipino during a press briefing in Camp Crame on Friday.
“I talked with the chief of the SOSIA [Supervisory Office for Security and Investigation Agencies] yesterday. We said that it appears security agencies are forgetting to remind their security guards, that these reminders could be done twice or three times a week,” Tuaño explained partly in Filipino.
The SOSIA is an office under the PNP Civil Security Group (CSG) which oversees the regulation of private security agencies in the country.
READ: Security guards warned vs carrying guns off-duty amid 2025 poll ban
The PNP CSG previously cautioned security guards against carrying their firearms off-duty, stressing vigilance amid the gun ban for the 2025 national and local elections.
The ban started on Jan. 12, marking the beginning of the official election period, in a bid by the PNP to reduce violence for the midterm polls.