GUN BAN VIOLATOR. Military personnel arrested a man for an unlicensed gun and violation of the election gun ban in Cotabato City on Wednesday (Aug. 31, 2023). The suspect did not resist arrest when accosted at a Marine checkpoint in Barangay Kalanganan, Cotabato City. (Photo courtesy of IATF Kutawato)
COTABATO CITY – An interagency task force for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) arrested Thursday afternoon a man here for violation of the election gun ban.
The Naval Task Unit-Cotabato, a composite of Inter-Agency Task Force Kutawato (IATFK) through the Marine Battalion Landing Team 5 (MBLT-5), nabbed Tuti Aman Esmael in Barangay Kalanganan 1 for carrying a firearm amid the BSKE gun ban that took effect on Aug. 28.
Esmael is the first reported gun ban violator here and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in line with the upcoming polls.
Cotabato City Mayor Bruce Matabalao, who also heads the IATFK, said Friday Esmael yielded a Danao-made .45 caliber pistol with seven ammunition when his tricycle was flagged down at the IATFK Darping detachment.
Esmael could not provide documents for the gun. He did not resist arrest.
Police said Esmael will be charged with violation of the election gun ban, and Republic Act 10591, or the Comprehensive Law on Firearms and Ammunition.
The firearm has been forwarded to the police crime laboratory for verification.
“This successful operation underscores the firm commitment of the IATFK and all security sectors and agencies in Cotabato City (to maintain peace and order),” the IATFK said in a statement Friday.
“Together, we are strengthening our cooperation and collaboration to make Cotabato City a safer place for all its Bangsamoro people,” it added. (PNA)
