PRO-7 tops target for gun license renewal

CEBU, Philippines - The Police Regional Office-7 has already reached beyond its three percent monthly target relative to the renewal of expired gun licenses.

PRO-7 Firearms and Explosives Unit head P/Supt. Jacinto Cesar revealed during the Talakayan sa Isyung Pulis (TSIP) Forum yesterday that out of the 20,370 guns with expired licenses in the region, 879 licenses have already been renewed as of July 22 accounting for 4.3 percent of the total figure.

Classification of loose firearms is those that are being carried by threat groups, criminal gangs or syndicates and those gun owners with expired license.   PRO-7 Regional Director C/Supt. Lani-O Nerez previously disclosed that there are an estimated 52,000 loose firearms in Central Visayas and 1.1M loose firearms nationwide.

With President Gloria Arroyo’s marching order to reduce three percent a month the number of loose firearms nationwide, the Philippine National Police at the forefront in the campaign against loose firearms needs to target 33,000 loose firearms by end of August as the EO officially takes effect on August 1 after the implementing rules and regulations of the NFCP have been signed last week. Cesar said police chiefs in the provinces and cities have already been given a list of those gun owners with expired licenses based on the list provided by Camp Crame.

PRO-7 Deputy Regional Director for Operations S/Supt. Marcelo Garbo in the same forum said every police office has been ordered to set up a firearms control desk to assist those gun owners with expired licenses or unregistered firearms to renew or register their weapons.

Garbo said the applications for the general amnesty for the registration of loose firearms including those with expired licenses will start on August 1 but that they have already intensified their advocacy campaign for gun owners to avail of the last and final amnesty of the government.

A one-month amnesty from October 1 to 31 is likewise given for gun owners whose weapons have never been registered, according to Garbo. The Cebu Provincial Police Office in its report stated that they have accounted 36 loose firearms for the month, 19 of which have been confiscated with corresponding cases filed in court and five firearms surrendered while 12 weapons were recovered in separate cases.

Fourteen firearms, eight of which are high-powered weapons and six low-powered firearms were likewise confiscated by the Cebu City Police Office through search warrants. — AJ de la Torre with reports from PIA-7/WAB (THE FREEMAN)