More than 100 private armed goons have been arrested since the police and military intensified the campaign against Partisan Armed Groups (PAGs) on January 10 across the country, a top police official revealed Friday.

Director General Jesus Verzosa, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said almost all those collared were nabbed in raids and special operations conducted by joint police and military operatives, adding that the arrests also came with the confiscation of more than 100 firearms.

It is on these aggressive operations,

Verzosa said, that PAGs were forced to minimize their movements and operations since the election period started on January 10.

"We have marked a significant decrease of activity because of our operations," said Verzosa.

Based on the recent monitoring of the PNP's Intelligence Group, a total of 112 PAGs have been validated to be operating across the country, most of them in conflict-torn areas in Mindanao such as the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) which has at least 25 validated PAGs.

While they have neutralized at least 10 PAGs this year, Verzosa explained that the validated number of PAGs appeared to be not reducing since some groups which have been inactive after the 2007 elections are now beginning to regroup and making their presence felt.

Verzosa said they expect more PAGs to be neutralized in the coming days following his order to create an operating team for each of the PAG validated.

Based on PNP records, most of those arrested are from Mindanao. The most recent was the simultaneous raids in three barangays in Nurallah town, South Cotabato where four armed goons were arrested while nine firearms were seized.

In Luzon, most of the busted PAGs and recovered firearms were from the island province of Masbate, a perennial election hot spot with a high record of poll-related violence.

Senior Superintendent Eddie Benigay, Masbate Police chief, said the recent operation they conducted resulted in the confiscation of two .45 pistols in Barangay Nipa in Palanas town.

Benigay said those arrested a certain Antonio Codera and Rochello Tamayo, the barangay captain in the area.

"Our accounting of firearms in this province is being done by way of conducting raids and searches of target personalities. We believe that theaggressive operation against PAGs and firearms is equal to saving lives in Masbate," said Benigay.

"One firearm accounted is one life saved," he said.