ILOILO City – More than two thousand loose firearms were destroyed at the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) headquarters in Camp Martin Delgado yesterday.
The firearms – which totaled to 2,297 – were seized under the region-wide “Tokhang Kontra Ginadumili-an nga Pusil” campaign launched on July 24, 2018.
Most of the weapons were .38-caliber revolvers, M16 pistols and 12-gauge shotguns.
From July 2018 to January 2019, a total of 9,594 guns were surrendered to the police across Western Visayas.
PRO-6 director Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao said 459 loose firearms – which were recovered in 437 police operations during the period – were not subjected to the demilitarization.
They will be used as evidence in court, he added.
Bulalaco yesterday said there will be no letup in their campaign against loose guns.
“I’m warning all gun holders possessing homemade and unlicensed firearms or guns with expired licenses to surrender [them] to the police,” he said.
The regional police chief also warned candidates in the May 13, 2019 midterm elections that they will be subjects of police operations should they fail to surrender their guns.
PRO-6’s anti-loose firearms campaign aims to curb the proliferation of illegal guns in preparation for the forthcoming midterm polls.
Those who will be caught possessing unlicensed guns will be charged for violation of Republic 10591, or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.
The law defines a loose gun as “an unregistered firearm, an obliterated or altered firearm, firearm which has been lost or stolen, illegally manufactured firearms, registered firearms in the possession of an individual other than the licensee and those with revoked licenses.”/PN
