The Philippine National Police (PNP) said 40 policemen and 25 soldiers were arrested for violation of the nationwide gun ban which took effect January 10.

The 40 policemen, aside from facing criminal charges, will also be slapped with administrative charges and will be made to undergo re-training, after which they will be re-assigned to Maguindanao, according to a police spokesman.

Chief Supt. Leonardo Espina, PNP spokesman, said the firearms ban jointly implemented by the national police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has so far resulted in the apprehension of 547 persons, including the 65 police and military personnel.

Espina said that last Saturday alone, 26 violators, including one policeman and a government employee, were arrested at Comelec checkpoints.

The same operations also netted 16 high-powered firearms, eight low-powered guns, and eight bladed weapons.

Data from the National Elections Monitoring and Action Center (NEMAC) in Camp Crame show the number of arrested persons now stand at 547, which include 40 policemen, 25 soldiers, 459 civilians, and 23 government employees. (Elena Aben)