COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) officials finally relented to change a few of the guidelines regarding applications for gun ban exemption on carrying and transporting, including the hiring of security personnel or bodyguard during the election period.
Comelec Chairman Saidamen Pangarungan said after the en banc meeting that the poll body agreed to implement a decentralized approach in the issuance of gun ban exemption by allowing the Comelec regional director and election officer to approve of any application for exemption.
Under the current setup, applications for gun ban exemption are submitted at the Comelec central office in Intramuros, Manila.
Aside from the this, the poll body also allowed the automatic issuance of exemption to magistrates, judges, prosecutors, and the Ombudsman.
The Comelec’s Committee on the Ban on Firearms and Security Concerns (CBFSC) was given one week to iron out and finalize the changes to the guidelines.
The CBFSC was also told to assure that there is enough personnel in the Comelec regional or local offices who will do their jobs and must have enough training and knowledge of their tasks.