For a fair and safe election, police are urging political candidates and supporters to surrender their firearms for muzzle taping.
“It should be a gesture on their part that they want a fair election, not just the political candidates but as well as their supporters,” said Sr. Supt. Rey Lyndon Lawas, regional operations and plans division head of the Police Regional Office Central Visayas (PRO-7).
At least 90 persons were arrested for illegal possession of firearms during checkpoints and 77 firearms were confiscated regionwide since the Commission on Election (Comelec) implemented the gun ban on Jan. 10.
Lawas, during the Talakayan sa Isyung Pulis at the media center of PRO-7, said that the muzzle taping would go hand in hand with the peace covenant among candidates.
The peace pact should be enacted before the start of the local campaign period on March.
In Central Visayas, at least 32 areas are under the EWAs (election watchlist areas),mostly belong to category 1 or those with intense political rivalry.
Checkpoints have been intensified to check illegal transfer of firearms which might be used by armed groups supporting politicians.
“So far, most of those who we apprehended are civilians but they do not belong to any armed groups,” he said.