Comelec to remove ‘special agents’ from gun ban exemptions

MANILA, Philippines – “Special agents” will be removed from the list of groups exempted from the total gun ban beginning January next year when the Commission on Elections (Comelec) amends the gun ban resolution it released on Monday.

In an interview with reporters Tuesday, Commissioner Elias Yusoph, chairman of the poll body’s gun ban committee, revealed that the gun ban resolution was up for amendments because the special groups could be subject to abuse.

“We will delete it. There are amendments. We have to amend it because it may be the cause for abuses,” Yusoph said when asked about the provision on the special agents.

Section 4 of the 17-page resolution promulgated last Friday noted that those who were authorized to “bear, carry, or transport firearms or other deadly weapons” during the election period included Special Agents or Operatives of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Commissioner Rene Sarmiento, for his part, said that these special agents could be working for other offices.

The Comelec, however, has yet to release the amended resolution.

The resolution issued Monday included in the list of exemptions government agencies that were not exempted from the election gun ban during the 2010 elections.

Among those that were added were internal security of the Office of the Vice President, the Interior secretary, the Defense secretary, internal security personnel of the Bureau of Treasury, and the Bureau of Corrections, among others.

State, regional, provincial and city prosecutors of the Department of Justice (DOJ), as well as justices of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Sandiganbayan and Court of Tax Appeal; and judges of the Regional Trial Courts and Municipal/Metropolitan/Circuit trial courts, were also exempted.

“These are agencies which are functioning as investigating entities. So their lives are at stake, especially judges, fiscals. So we have to exempt them for their protection,” Yusoph said in explaining the gun ban resolution.

Members of the PNP and AFP, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, the Bureau of Customs’ intelligence, investigation and customs police divisions, and personnel of the National Bureau of Investigation are among those groups usually excluded from the gun ban.

The gun ban next year will run from January 13 to June 12.