By MIKHA FLORES
UNLESS you want to spend the next six to 12 years in prison, beware of fake gun ban exemption certifications.
Commission on Elections Commissioner Elias Yusoph has cautioned the public of fraudulent gun ban exemption certifications that are currently circulating.
Yusoph, Chair of the 2013 Committee on the Ban on Firearms and Security Personnel (CBFSP), said an unidentified person went to his office to verify a gun ban certification that was later found out to be falsified. The person is now being investigated for possible charges.
“We have the security measure on the certification that only the Commission knows and we can identify what is fake and what is real. I am cautioning the public now,” Yusoph said.
The spurious document only bears the signature of Yusoph. The authentic one contains the signatures of Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Superintendent Miguel Antonio Jr. and Armed Forces of the Philippines (PNP) Brigadier General Rodelio Santos. The two are members of the CBFSP.
The original also contains the rules a person in possession of firearms must observe.
A receipt of payment worth P1, 200 also came with the spurious certification. The filing fee for gun ban exemptions is P5, 000.
Carrying, bearing and transporting of firearms, ammunition and deadly weapons during the election period is an election offense. Various Comelec Resolutions penalizes gun ban violators of up to six years imprisonment.
Yusoph added the person could also be charged of falsification of public document.
“If you are in possession of a fake document, you are presumed to be the author of the fake document,” Yusoph said. “Those that are in possession of this should surrender it and divulge the person faking the documents,” he added.
Under the Revised Penal Code, a public officer who falsifies a document can face up to 12 years in prison while a private individual can be sentenced up to six years when found guilty of the offense.
The gun ban started on January 13, the start of the election period, and will end on June 12. Exemptions include members of the PNP and the AFP, government employees who perform law enforcement or security functions, private security agencies, members of the judiciary, and security personnel of foreign diplomatic corps and establishments.
The CBFSP, Regional of Provincial Joint Security Control Center (RJSCC or PJSCC) will receive the application. Within five days, the PNP and AFP will assess the threat level of the applicant. They will then recommend whether to grant or deny a request.
Rules on the gun ban are patterned after the 2010 gun ban resolutions although Comelec expanded the list to avoid “special” exemptions during the gun ban period.