Authorities on Thursday reported that a Romanian passenger was arrested at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2 17 days before the end of the election gun ban for allegedly violating election laws and firearms regulations.

The Philippine National Police -Aviation Security Group (PNP-AVSEGROUP) said the man was scheduled to fly to Caticlan when a Security Screening Officer (SSO) stopped him after live ammunition was detected in his backpack during X-ray screening. An image resembling a bullet appeared on the monitor.

A manual inspection, conducted in the passenger’s presence, confirmed the presence of 50 rounds of .22 caliber ammunition inside his bag.

He was subsequently arrested by the PNP-AVSEGROUP and taken into custody for the filing of appropriate charges related to the Omnibus Election Code, Republic Act 10591 (the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act), and Comelec Resolution No. 11067, which implements the election gun ban.

The arrested passenger reportedly admitted to owning the ammunition and said he forgot to remove it from his backpack before his trip.

PNP-AVSEGROUP director PBGEN Christopher M. Abecia reminded travelers that carrying even a single piece of ammunition can cause inconvenience at airports.

He stressed that regardless of the election gun ban, carrying such items without the required documents remains illegal.