PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino 3rd may continue to carry a gun despite an impending ban on bearing firearms in the run-up to polls, an election official said on Saturday.

Gun ownership is a sensitive topic in the Philippines, where calls are growing for tighter controls or an outright ban in the aftermath of a series of shootings starting on New Year's Eve that have left 23 people dead.

The ruling by the official Commission on Elections exempted Aquino, a gun enthusiast and competitive shooter, on the basis that he is constitutionally the head of the military.

"We have exempted the members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and since the president is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, then by necessary implication, [the exemption] covers the president," said Emil Maranon, an official in the commission.

Presidential spokesman Abigail Valte hailed the ruling, saying: "We welcome the [commission] statement that as commander-in-chief, President Aquino is exempted."

The ban, which takes effect on Sunday and will be in place for six months, is intended to minimize violence ahead of local and congressional elections in May.

It is not unusual for local officials to seek exemption from gun bans, which are routinely imposed before elections, but Maranon said that this was the first time he could recall a president applying.

Speaking before an anticrime group on Saturday, Aquino said that the government was studying whether the problem was lack of gun control laws or just poor enforcement.

"Is the problem about licensed gun owners, or lawless elements? Will a total gun ban really deter kidnappers, murderers, and robbers . . . Is it a question of passing new legislation, or more strictly implementing existing laws?" he said.

On Wednesday, Aquino dismissed calls for a total ban on civilians carrying guns after a series of deadly shootings, saying that it was a "knee-jerk reaction" to the issue.

Two children died from bullet wounds caused by gunfire from New Year revelers. A few days later a drugs-crazed gunman shot dead seven people in a 30-minute rampage on the outskirts of Manila, before police killed him.

Security forces shot another 13 people dead last week in a case that has embarrassed the government and highlighted major corruption problems in the police and military.