VIGAN CITY – At least 8,131 checkpoints were established in the four provinces comprising Region 1 to strengthen the strict implementation of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) gun ban since the start of election period last Jan. 10, 2010, according to the Ilocos Region Police Director Chief Supt. Constante D. Azares Jr.

Azares told the move is part of their strategy to prevent violence in the May 10 elections.
Region 1 police office’s spokesman Supt. Raul Romero told Thursday that these checkpoints had been set up in provinces of Pangasinan, which had the greatest number of checkpoints established, La Union, Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte.

“The establishment of checkpoints in the different strategic places along roads traversing the four provinces in Ilocos region is continuing until the end of theelection period,” Romero said.

As to the initial total on the number of arrested gun ban violators in the region, Romero said, “at least 119 people were apprehended in which 57 of them were from Pangasinan; 33 from La Union; 16 from Ilocos Sur; and 14 from Ilocos Norte.”

Meanwhile, the number of firearms seized along the checkpoints had now reached a total of 76. Out of this number, 39 guns were from Pangasinan, 13 firearms from La Union; 10 from Ilocos Sur and 14 from Ilocos Norte. At least 667 gun replicas were already confiscated along the checkpoints.

“The number of arrested gun ban violators including the number of firearms seized along the checkpoints all over the region are initial reports considering that the gun ban campaign is ongoing,” Romero said.

He also informed that at least 199 candidates for different elective positions from the four provinces in the region had applied to avail police security escort but pending its approval as the security validation is ongoing.