In a concerted effort to ensure a peaceful and orderly midterm election on May 12, checkpoints throughout Northern Mindanao are now fully operational. The police have already made their first arrest under the election gun ban, which commenced on Sunday, signaling a strict enforcement of election laws.
On Monday, in Musuan, Valencia City, Bukidnon, police were seen inspecting motorists at a checkpoint, a scene that has become common across the region. Col. Jovit Culaway, the director of the Bukidnon Provincial Police Office, emphasized the critical role of cooperation with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in maintaining peace and order. He stated, “We will work tirelessly alongside our government partners and the community to prevent violence and safeguard the integrity of the electoral process.”
The focus of these checkpoint operations is to enforce election laws rigorously, prevent election-related violence, and tackle other forms of electoral fraud. In Bukidnon, eight local government units have been flagged with an “Orange” classification by the Regional Election Monitoring Action Centers due to concerns over communist armed group activities and previous election-related incidents.
Brig. Gen. Jaysen de Guzman, director of the Police Regional Office-Northern Mindanao, announced the arrest of a 31-year-old man in Misamis Oriental on Sunday evening. The man was apprehended at a checkpoint in Tagoloan for riding a motorcycle without a helmet and was found in possession of a .38 caliber pistol without a serial number and three live rounds of ammunition. De Guzman remarked, “This arrest underscores our commitment to enforcing election laws and safeguarding our communities during this critical time. Let this serve as a warning to those who intend to violate the Comelec gun ban.”
The operation that led to the arrest was a collaborative effort involving the Tagoloan Municipal Police, the 1st Provincial Mobile Force Company, and the Army’s 28th Infantry Battalion.