Expect more checkpoints in Cebu City as police implement gun ban by Jan 9

Very few vehicles are seen along Salvador Street in Barangay Labangon, Cebu City early this Saturday morning, June 27, 2020, but police personnel continue to man the checkpoint in the area. | CDN Digital file photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Motorists should expect a series of checkpoints around the city as police implement the national gun ban starting January 9, 2022, as part of their security measures in the coming May elections.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Wilbert Parilla, deputy director for operations of the Cebu City Police Office, said they already directed all the station commanders to conduct simultaneous Commission on Elections (Comelec) checkpoints starting on Sunday, January 9.

“Karong January 9 mao na ni start sa atoang election period. Ang atoa sang checkpoints,  it will now be under the operational control of the Comelec. It will now be changed to Comelec checkpoints…Atoang hangyo sa atoang mga kaigsuonan nga kung naay checkpoints muhunong sila,” Parilla said.

(This coming January 9 is the start of our election period. Our checkpoints will now be under the operational control of the Comelec. It will now be changed to Comelec checkpoints…We appeal to the public should they encounter checkpoints to stop and cooperate.)

Parilla added that by January 9, the national gun ban will also be fully implemented. This means, Parilla said, that all the permits to carry firearms will be suspended.

“No one is already allowed to bring firearms. Even policemen and other uniformed personnel, law enforcement agencies, are not allowed to carry firearms when they are not in their proper uniform. Mao na ang atoang panghimangno even sa atoang ubang uniformed personnel (That is what we also appeal from other uniformed personnel) like AFP, PDEA, NBI. Once ma check nato sila sa checkpoints (Once we happen to check on them at the checkpoints) they should show [proof] of exemptions kay ang atoang law enforcement agencies duna nay exemptions gikan sa Comelec (because our law enforcement agencies have exemptions from the Comelec),” Parilla added.

The police official said there will be no police deployment in the conduct of checkpoints here as all stations including the City Mobile Force Company are directed to do so. The checkpoints will follow the same procedure and police will only do a visual search.

Earlier, Police Colonel Josefino Ligan, CCPO director, also said that they are already monitoring possible election-related violence but he said that they have not monitored any presence of private armed groups in the city yet that might be used by some political aspirant.

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