CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY - The Police Regional Office in Northern Mindanao (PRO-10) on Friday announced its implementation of a gun ban as well as the identification of "hotspots" ahead of the national elections in May. In an interview Friday, PRO-10 spokesperson, PLt. Col. Michelle Olaivar, said the gun ban will be implemented on January 9 based on the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Resolution Numbers 10741 and 10728. "(Also included in the) violation of gun ban are bearing of (other) deadly weapons, which can be considered an election offense," she said. Under Comelec Res. 10728, the penalty for such a violation is imprisonment of not less than one year but not more than six years. Another possible offense, Olaivar said, can be based on Republic Act 10591, or the "The Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act." As to the hotspots, Olaivar said there were already places in the region identified but still subject to validation by the police and th
RECALLED. The destruction wrought by Typhoon Sendong in Iligan City in December 2011. Residents of Iligan City and Cagayan de Oro City on Thursday (Dec. 16, 2021) were reminded of Typhoon Sendong's rampage as Typhoon Odette passed through and flooded several vulnerable parts of the two cities, particularly villages near the riverbanks, a decade later. (Photo courtesy of Rene B. Pernia FB account) CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY - As Typhoon Odette loomed over Northern Mindanao on Thursday, some residents here and of Iligan shared on Facebook how reminiscent the storm was of Typhoon Sendong, which ravaged the two cities exactly 10 years ago. "We were supposed to have an outreach (activity) on Dec. 17, 2011, with the region's Department of Social Welfare and Development in Northern Mindanao (DSWD-10). So, on December 16, we packed gifts (for children and women) but 'Sendong' changed everything," Angelie Collera said in an interview. Collera, then a faculty member at the Lic