BARMM mayor, escorts held for gun ban violation
COTABATO CITY — The police detained the mayor of a newly-created Bangsamoro town and his three escorts after officers and soldiers manning a gun ban checkpoint in Toril, Davao City, found two pistols in their vehicle on Tuesday, February 4.
Anwar Saluang, the appointed mayor of Nabalawag town in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), located within Cotabato province in Region 12, and his escorts were on their way to downtown Davao City when police and soldiers at a checkpoint discovered they were in possession of two undocumented handguns.
Officials from the Toril Police Station and the Police Regional Office-11 told reporters on Wednesday, February 5, that Saluang and his companions failed to present a clearance from the Commission on Elections allowing them to carry the confiscated firearms outside their residences.
The Comelec's nationwide ban on carrying firearms outside the owners' residences began on January 12, aimed at ensuring peaceful elections in May 2025.
Radio reports from Cotabato City on Wednesday morning stated that the Davao City Police Office will prosecute Saluang and his escorts for illegal possession of firearms and violation of the Comelec-imposed gun ban.