Arrests of several men for illegal firearms possession were reported in Oslob and Alegria towns in south Cebu as the campaign period closed over the weekend.
Five residents of barangay Lagundi, Oslob town were arrested on charges of possessing unlicensed firearms.
Most of them were employed at the Oslob municipal government, said Supt. Clifford Gairanod, battalion commander of the Regional Public Safety Battalion (RPSB).
The two towns falls under the 2nd congressional district of Rep. Pablo Garcia who is seeking reelection.
Police detained Ronnel Rontique, 27, Gimmy Suycano,37; William Ventic,38; Edgardo Dalumpines, 45 and Romalefer Ronolo, 33.
Taken from their possession were three .38 revolvers, one .22 revolver and one .45 pistol.
Gairanod said he also received a phone call from the brother of a barangay captain, claiming that six other armed men were harassing him.
But of the six, only 37-year-old Gualberto Magalso was found with a .38 revolver.
The others, mostly Bantay Dagat workers, were released.
Magalso is detained at the Oslob police precinct while charges of illegal gun possession and violation of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) gun ban will be filed against him today.
Gairanod said they also received some relatives who identified four men arrested on illegal firearms possession in Alegria town as family members also last Saturday.
The four persons were identified as Ronaldo Bacus, Dionald Bacus, Filebert Bautista and Mareno Baculi.
All were residents of sitio Warwick Barracks, barangay Ermita, Cebu City.
They were reportedly with six suspected guns-for-hire who were arrested in barangay Lepanto, Alegria town, southern Cebu last Friday.
The four men were released after no evidence was found against them.
“They claimed they wanted to serve as watchers. But they can’t do that in Alegria because they’re from Cebu City,” Gairanod said.
The six men were arrested after being spotted campaigning door-to-door armed with guns.
Those arrested were identified as Michael Gramatica, Joji Alcorte, Larry Paulo, Odelon Pastor, John Carl Dacay, Talper Tupaz, all of barangay Ermita.
A. 357 revolver and packs of shabu were recovered from their possession.
In Tuburan town, a 24-year-old supporter of mayoralty candidate Rose Marie Suezo was shot while delivering a PCOS machine last Saturday afternoon.
Jovanni dela Cerna Puno, a resident of barangay Daan Lungsod volunteered as a poll watcher. Puno was later transferred to a hospital in Cebu City for further treatment.
Police said there was no evidence that he was shot by an assailant based on the location of the gunshot wound on his thigh.
Supporters and mayors of the towns of Naga, Alegria, Badian and Dumanjug who are allied with One Cebu alleged that the RPSB group is manning checkpoints with their rival Liberal Party-Cebu (LP-Cebu) bets.
Gairanod denied the presence of LP bets in their checkpoints, saying his men were deployed to secure some towns and cities because police are tasked to secure the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines in the polling precincts.
Toledo City which counts 98,000 voters remains generally peaceful.
Former senator John Osmeña, who’s running for mayor, will vote in barangay Ibo while incumbent Mayor Aurelio Espinoza had yet to disclose where he’ll vote.
Comelec-7 Regional Director Temie Lambino said their agency is prepared for today’s elections.
He said they have additional PCOS machines on standby while the police and military are stationed in various areas of Cebu province. /Jucell Marie P. Cuyos and Jhunnex Napallacan with Correspondents Carmel Loise Matus, Joy C. Quito, Christine Emily L. Pantaleon and Michelle Joy Padayhag with an Inquirer report