CCPO chief: Proliferation of loose firearms alarming

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Police Director Melvin Ramon Buenafe is alarmed over the proliferation of loose firearms which he considers as one of the causes of crimes in Cebu City.

He said that in a household in Danao City with two able gunmakers, they can produce two firearms in a week or roughly 10 guns in a month, a little less compared to other legal and bigger manufacturers.

But with an estimated 100 households with the same productivity in a week, the group can produce 200 firearms a week or 800 firearms in a month. This, according to Buenafe, is very relative and alarming.

The director said that when he worked as an intelligence officer at the Police Regional Office, they conducted a study on the relation of the high proliferation of loose firearms to criminal cases in the region especially in Cebu City.

At that time, there were roughly 50, 000 firearms in Central Visayas including unregistered and expired firearms with around 3,000 loose firearms believed to “never have been registered” estimated to be in Cebu City alone.

Buenafe believes that these numbers have surely increased in the past years, adding that most of the loose firearms are owned by lawless elements in the city.

He also cited the prevalent illegal gun manufacturing in Danao City where most of the 50,000 loose firearms come from.

Buenafe explained that though the said guns are distributed to various areas in the region, the fact remains that Cebu City as a highly urbanized area, may also be the closest place where these guns are unfortunately sold mostly to lawless elements.

He said this claim can be tagged responsible for rising crime cases in the city adding that with the city’s constant economic growth, more and more lawless elements are also expected to flock for “greater opportunities.”

Though CCPO conducts constant operations against the proliferation of illegally manufactured firearms, Buenafe admits that it is not enough to curb criminal activities in the city.

The city police director hopes that soon the government can find ways to address such problems in Cebu City, Danao City and throughout the region. 

PRO-7 Director Marcelo Garbo Jr., recently commissioned a study group composing of representatives from various fields to look for a beneficial solution for both illegal firearms manufacturers in Danao City, the police and for the Cebuano community. (FREEMAN)