MANILA, Philippines – At least 39 people died and 17 others were wounded in 40 shooting incidents during the first week of the total election gun ban, police said Monday.

The incidents were recorded from January 10, when the gun ban went into force, to January 17.

Records from the Philippine National Police Central Operations Center in Camp Crame showed only two suspects have been arrested.

But PNP operations chief Director Andres Caro said shootings are expected to happen despite what authorities call the strict implementation of the gun ban and that more effort will need to be exerted to improve enforcement of the ban.

“Well, that is expected. What we are running after here is to prevent the proliferation of firearms, we have to control [the movement] of firearms,” Caro said in an interview with DateLine Philippines .

Caro said only uniformed police and military personnel are authorized by the Commission on Election s to bear weapons during the election  period.

“But…crime, it’s still expected, (although it has) lessened…” Caro said.

Among the major shooting incidents were the killing of a family of three in Silang, Cavite and the wounding of eleven bus passengers in Zamboanga City.

Mario Aboga-ay, 39, his wife Evangeline, 43, and their 18-year-old son Geiromar were shot by still unidentified suspects in Barangay Yakal on January 10, a few hours after the gun ban came into effect.

On Sunday, two unidentified men armed with a shotgun and M16 rifle shot at a Rural aircon bus on its way to Pagadian City from Zamboanga City, wounding 11.

The PNP National Election Monitoring Action Center (Nemac) said around 270 persons have been arrested for violating the gun ban since January 10. Of these, 14 were policemen, 15 military personnel, 10 government employees, and 231 civilians. Police seized 223 firearms.