Fifteen persons, including a barangay kagawad, were charged for violating the Commission on Elections gun ban in Western Visayas since September 28, Chief Supt. Agrimero Cruz Jr., police regional director, said yesterday.

Only those with gun ban exemption from the Comelec can carry firearms during the election period that started last Saturday, so Cruz urged other gun owners to leave theirs at home even if these are licensed.

He said the PRO-6 is ready for the barangay polls on October 28, and the 500 barangays in the region that are under the watch list will be monitored closely to ensure that violence will be prevented.

From 2004-2010, Cruz said there was a decrease in the number of election-related violence in the region, and they will implement similar security and safety procedures they did during the May elections.

Meanwhile, Cruz said he has not received reports of any chief of police in Bacolod receiving money from illegal gambling operators.

He encouraged those with information about policemen engaged in, or are protectors of the illegal gambling operation, to coordinate with the regional or national police headquarters.

He warned policemen receiving money from illegal activities that they will be punished accordingly.*SGG

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