Police Senior Superintendent Luisito Palmera, provincial police director, said they could not say whether the loose firearms are in the hands of criminal syndicates or members of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) but said that lawmen are now exerting efforts to recover them.
"If we have known who the owners of these loose firearms, then it’s easy to arrest them," he said.
Loose firearms not only refer to guns that could not be accounted for but also unregistered firearms. More than a decade ago, the province rode the height of notoriety reportedly due to the proliferation of loose firearms that were in the possession of political warlords harboring private armies and lawless elements.
The number of loose firearms, however, is considered to have gone down considerably with the surrender of several firearms by politicians in the mid-90s.
A list of loose firearms provided The STAR by Senior Inspector Prospero Barcenas, deputy chief of the provincial intelligence and investigation bureau (PIIB) showed that Cabanatuan City accounts for the most number of loose firearms with 127 followed by Aliaga town with 99.
The towns of Guimba, Nampicuan, Lupao and San Isidro have two loose firearms each with only the town of Llanera having no "loose firearms" among the 27 towns and five cities of the province.
Of these firearms, 164 were classified as high-powered while the rest are low-powered. High-powered firearms include Hong-Kong made Uzis, M-14 and M-16 Armalites. Low-powered guns refer to shotguns, calibers 38, 357, 45 and 22 pistols.
Barcenas said that of the 754 loose firearms, 246 are foreign-made, 266 are locally manufactured and 243 are home-made such as the so-called "paltik" revolvers. Barcenas said that the local PNP has already recovered 183 loose firearms since last year under "Oplan Paglalansag" of which 17 were seized this year.
The local PNP, he said, has also filed 118 cases in court against those found in possession of the loose firearms.