DAVAO CITY — For gun owners, the filling of gun ban exemption applications starts on June 5.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced on Saturday in line with the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) in October.
Based on the approved Comelec Resolution 10918 released Saturday, the poll body said applications will be processed starting June 5 and ends on November 15.
An applicant must apply via electronic application, If the application is approved the Comelec will issue Certificate of Authority to allow the holder to carry firearms.
Application must be submitted before the Committee on the Ban on Firearms and Security Concerns (CBFSC).
“Filing of applications shall be made through electronic means taking advantage of the current information technology advancements, adopting the principle of efficient government service delivery, addressing the geo-logistical challenges in some regions, and for mutual safety under the new normal,” said the resolution that was promulgated on May 17.
The filing may be done through the Comelec website at www.comelec.gov.ph.
The President, Vice President, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Senate President; all incumbent senators; House of Representatives Speaker; all members of the House; and all justices of the SC, Court of Appeals, Sandiganbayan, and Court of Tax Appeals are exempted from the ban.
Also included in the exemption list are all judges of the regional, municipal, and metropolitan trial courts; the Ombudsman, Deputy Ombudsman, and investigators and prosecutors of the Ombudsman; the prosecutor general, chief state prosecutor, state prosecutors, and prosecutors of the Department of Justice; and officials and agents of the National Bureau of Investigation.
The officers and members of other law enforcement agencies/entities, officers of departments, divisions, offices performing law enforcement and security functions, officers and personnel of jail and corrections facilities, officers and members of the intelligence and investigative divisions, officers and members of the Department of Justice (DOJ), Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, and officers of several other public offices and institutions, are also exempted.
Gun ban violation is considered an election offense that carries a penalty of one to six years imprisonment, without the possibility of probation, and results in one’s loss of right to vote and perpetual disqualification from holding public office.
It also grants automatic exemption are Cabinet Secretaries, Undersecretaries, and Assistant Secretaries, all Election Officers, Provincial Election Supervisors, and Regional Election Directors.The gun ban prohibits the bearing, carrying, and transport of firearms and other deadly weapons during the election period.
