Another Negrense policeman was arrested for violation of the Commission on Election gun ban in Isabela, Negros Occidental, on Feb. 14, the third in Western Visayas nabbed for the offense, police records show.

Chief Inspector Romeo Leyte, Isabela police chief, said the policeman identified as PO1 Generoso Ellera is now being restricted at the town police station.

Ellera who was believed to be under the influence of liquor and in civilian clothes, allegedly poked his 9mm service pistol at complainant Jojean Qilibite early in the morning of Feb. 14.

Leyte said Ellera, who is a member of the Isabela police station, has already been disarmed of his M-16 assault rifle and 9mm service pistol.

PO2 Rommel Lee of the Salvador Benedicto police station was also arrested last week for violation of the Comelec gun ban at a cockpit in Brgy. Granada, Bacolod City.

Senior Supt. Manuel Felix, provincial police director of Negros Occidental, said he is serious in implementing the firearms ban, especially against erring policemen, and will enforce the law without favor.

Region 6 police director Chief Supt. Isagani Cuevas has approved the relief and re-assignment of Lee from the Don Salvador Benedicto police station in Negros Occidental to Iloilo City, following his recent arrest for violation of the Comelec gun ban in Bacolod City.

Chief Inspector Rico Santotome said Lee is now assigned at the Regional Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit in Iloilo City, pending the filing of criminal and administrative charges against him.

Cuevas had said earlier that policemen arrested for violation of the Comelec gun ban will undergo a month-long retraining on character aptitude and development at the Regional Training Support Unit at Camp Alfredo Montelibano Sr. in Bacolod City. Later, they may also be deployed to Maguindanao, he added.

The arrest of Lee at a cockpit in Brgy. Granada, Bacolod City, yielded a .45 caliber pistol with a magazine containing ammunition.

Police records showed that 90 violators have already been arrested for violation of the Comelec gun ban in Region 6, among them two policemen, two soldiers, four militiamen, while the rest were civilians.*GPB

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