A 40-year-old man was arrested for illegal possession of a firearm during the ongoing election gun ban in Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro, police reported Thursday.

The suspect, whose identity is being withheld pending further investigation, was apprehended around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday when soldiers from the 4th Infantry Battalion spotted him alighting from a motorcycle with a suspicious bulge at his right side.

Upon inspection, police authorities discovered a homemade 12-gauge shotgun slung over the suspect’s shoulder.

The suspect, a resident of Bulalacao, could not produce legal documentation for the weapon.

Police Major Aries-Joi M. Adorio, acting chief of the Bulalacao Municipal Police Station, said the suspect is being charged with violation of Republic Act 10591 (Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act) in relation to the Omnibus Election Code, which implements a gun ban during election periods.

The suspect remains in police custody pending filing of appropriate charges.