PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino 3rd can continue enjoying his fondness for guns and target shooting even when the gun ban takes effect on Sunday.

This came after the Commission on Elections (Comelec) declared that Aquino, being the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, is exempted from the total gun ban that will be imposed during the election period for the midterm election.

Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said that the President did not even have to apply for exemption because, being the highest official of the Philippines, he is automatically exempted. He said that this was the reason why the poll body did not include the President in its resolution identifying those exempted from the gun ban.

“We can’t imagine the commander in chief of this country would have to ask for an exemption from us,” Brillantes said at a Comelec conference with the Armed Forces, the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Department of Education at the Comelec headquarters.

Earlier, Brillantes said that Aquino would not be automatically exempted from the gun ban because the general rule is that exemption is granted to security personnel and not to the government officials.

On Thursday, Aquino filed an application for exemption from the 120-day gun ban imposed by the poll body. Brillantes clarified that it was the Director General Alan Purisima, PNP chief, who filed the application in behalf of the President.

“The letter asking for the exemption was signed by the chief PNP, not by the President,” Brillantes said.

The poll chief said that the misinterpretation of the gun ban resolution, which did not include the President, led the President’s application for exemption. He said that the proper presumption should be that there is no need for the President to apply, since he is the commander-in-chief.

Comelec Commissioner Elias Yusoph, chairman of the Comelec Committee on the Ban on Firearms and Security Personnel, said that Aquino was leading by example in applying for gun ban exemption.

“By having that application for himself, he is leading by example, informing the public that if you want to be exempted from the gun ban you should file an application,” Yusoph said.

Meanwhile, Brillantes said that all checkpoints nationwide would be set up today in preparation for the full implementation of the election gun ban beginning on Sunday.

Comelec, through Resolution 9588, ordered the police and army bodies to post one checkpoint in each of the 135 cities and 1,493 municipalities nationwide in time for the 120-day election period that starts this Sunday.