8 persons arrested in Maguindanao for gun ban violation

COTABATO CITY -- Eight persons have been arrested by police and military authorities in Maguindanao for violating election gun ban and illegal possession of firearms law, police said on Tuesday.Senior Supt. Nickson Muksan, Maguindanao police provincial director, said the implementation of gun ban has been going on smoothly and police officers have been strictly polite in dealing with motorists.One of those arrested was a security guard who was carrying an M-16 Armalite rifle in Barangay Sarmiento, Parang, Maguindanao.Jonathan Jovellano, a security guard and resident of Barangay Sarmiento, was driving his motorbike heading for home when he was stopped at a police checkpoint implementing the election gun ban.Mike Upam Datukaka of Kabuntalan, Maguindanao was arrested at a police checkpoint in Barangay Broce, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao.Datukaka who was driving a motorbike yielded an unlicensed cal. 45 pistol hidden in the U-Box of his motorbike.Muksan said the Shariff Aguak municipal police station personnel arrested two persons for carrying assorted firearms during the first day of implementation of election gun ban.He said the suspects failed to show proof legalizing their possession of firearms and no Comelec issued gun ban exemption.Four others were arrested on Monday night at a highway checkpoint in Barangay Kauran, Ampatuan, Maguindanao.”So far we have collected cal. 45 pistols, M-16 Armalite rifle, Uzi sub-machine gun and homemade pistols,” Muksan said in an interview.”We are implementing the election gun ban strictly in partnership with local election officials, we strictly observe the plain view principle,” he added.