THE effective Philippine National Police (PNP) enforcement of the nationwide gun ban last May 12 prevented the flow of ‘instruments of violence’ that could have been used to create violence, PNP chief, General Rommel Francisco D. Marbil said.

The PNP reported a 71 percent increase in gun ban arrests and seizures from January 12 to date compared to those made during the 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections.

This greatly contributed to the generally peaceful elections as police managed to account for over 3,000 firearms that could have been used to create trouble during the polls had they not been accounted for by the police.

Gen. Marbil said the significant rise in the number of apprehensions and confiscated guns and other deadly weapons during the start of the Comelec-imposed prohibition was made amid the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to ensure clean, safe and credible elections.

Throughout the election period, the PNP conducted 862,827 checkpoint operations, resulting in a 71 percent increase in gun ban arrests.

A total of 3,217 firearms were confiscated — a 49.97 percent increase from those seized in the 2023 elections.

The increase in apprehensions reflects the PNP’s sustained law enforcement operations and inter-agency coordination during the entire election period, the PNP chief said.

Among the arrests, 240 individuals were caught during checkpoint operations, 1,608 during police responses, 498 in anti-illegal drug operations, 197 in gun buy-bust operations, 587 in law enforcement operations, and one individual was arrested through internal security operations.

The massive scale of checkpoint operations contributed greatly to these results, with a total of 862,827 checkpoints conducted across the country.

These checkpoints served as vital enforcement points in ensuring compliance with the nationwide firearms ban.

The number of confiscated firearms also saw a significant increase, with a total of 3,217 firearms recovered—49.97 percent higher than the 2,085 firearms seized in the 2023 election period.

The confiscated firearms included 925 pistols, 1,169 revolvers, 26 rifles, and 25 shotguns. Additionally, there were 744 firearms classified under miscellaneous types, 68 Class A firearms, and 6 Class B firearms.

The PNP also seized 36 air guns and airsoft guns, 122 replicas, 14 firearms of unknown classification, and 82 explosives.

Gen. Marbil commended the efforts of all police units nationwide for their vigilance and dedication during the election period.

“This is a shared success between the police, our partner agencies, and the public who cooperated with our operations,” he added.

Gen. Marbil urged the public to remain vigilant and cooperate in maintaining peace and order beyond the elections as he explained that the success of election security operations is a strong foundation for strengthening public trust, not only in the PNP, but in the entire electoral process of the country.