ILOILO City – The Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) has escalated its efforts to combat the issue of loose firearms throughout Western Visayas.
Brigadier General Jack Wanky, the PRO-6 director, directed all line units and municipal police stations to amplify their operations against unregistered and illegally-held firearms.
He emphasized the targeting of gun holders who have not renewed necessary documents such as permits to carry firearms outside residence and licenses.
Wanky advised gun owners lagging behind on renewals to surrender their firearms to the police for safekeeping to avoid legal consequences.
Throughout August, the PRO-6 successfully seized 375 assorted firearms and 65 explosives, and apprehended 63 individuals.
The breakdown of the firearms seized revealed that 84 were captured through enforcement actions, while 291 were obtained via softer approaches, including voluntary surrenders or discoveries of abandoned weapons across various police units.
In terms of regional performance, the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) led with 118 firearms confiscated, followed by the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) with 72.
Here are the other performances of police offices and units:
* Aklan Police Provincial Office (AkPPO) – 26
* Antique Police Provincial Office (AntPPO) – 55
* Regional Mobile Force Battalion 6 (RMFB6) – 36
* Capiz Police Provincial Office (CPPO) – 31
*Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) – 16
* Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) – 12
The smallest haul was from the Guimaras Police Provincial Office (GPPO), which collected nine firearms.
Arrest statistics reflect a similar distribution, with NOCPPO making 23 arrests and the Capiz Police Provincial Office (CPPO) securing 11, followed by the IPPO (10), GPPO (4), AkPPO (4), AntPPO (3), ICPO (2), BCPO (2), and RMFB6 (2).
Wanky lauded the collaborative efforts of all units involved in the drive against illegal firearms and explosives, acknowledging their role in curtailing crimes involving firearms.
He encouraged continued vigilance and proactive measures to account for more loose firearms either through direct enforcement or by encouraging firearm holders to surrender their weapons to the nearest police unit./PN
