Firm withdraws as gun license courier as PNP starts probe of influence-peddling claims

MANILA, Philippines - A firm that won a Philippine National Police (PNP) contract to deliver firearms licenses has withdrawn from the deal following complaints that it failed to deliver the licenses to gun owners, a PNP official said yesterday.

Chief Superintendent Louie Oppus, PNP Firearms and Explosives Office chief, said Werfast Documentary Agency sent a letter to FEO indicating that it will stop being the official courier of gun licenses of the PNP.

“Werfast is accredited by the PNP to deliver gun licenses to the owner. Although they will desist from operating, they promised to send all the license cards now in their possession to the gun owners,” Oppus said.

All deals under scrutiny

Meanwhile, another official said the PNP will look into the alleged influence-peddling of a Filipino-Chinese businessman identified as “MJ” in all transactions at Camp Crame, among them the memorandum of agreement (MOA) the PNP entered into with Werfast.

“We will review our records, including our MOA with Werfast, to determine whether MJ has a hand in it. We are starting the process today so we have no goods to report as yet,” Deputy Director General Felipe Rojas Jr., PNP deputy chief for administration, told The STAR.

The PNP’s No. 2 man could not categorically say whether or not he is acquainted with MJ. The police force’s public information office has yet to issue a statement on MJ’s existence.

MJ is reported to be a power-broker known as the “Little PNP Chief” in Camp Crame.

Just like Janet Lim-Napoles in Congress and Ma’m Arlene in the Judiciary, MJ reportedly throws lavish parties for police generals, particularly newly promoted ones, to seal deals and win contracts, a Camp Crame source said.

 â€œEven in promotions of police officials, he has a big say. That’s how powerful this man is,” said a ranking police official who claimed he once experienced MJ’s generosity.

Several senior police officials interviewed by The STAR claimed “MJ” is a known figure and goes in and out of offices of police generals in Camp Crame.

Fake holders

The PNP decided to have firearms licenses delivered to the registered residence of gun owners to ensure they are not fictitious. The program was initiated after the FEO learned that more than 60,000 license holders were fictitious, officials said.

There are about 1.7 million registered guns in the FEO.

Some sectors have criticized the decision of PNP chief Director General Alan Purisima to close all satellite offices of the Civil Security Group tasked to process the licensing of firearms across the country.

Oppus said the centralized gun licensing is only temporary. “It is not to make a life of gun holders miserable but make the records (gun licenses) right. We are cleansing the records of registered gun holders. It is the right of the government to implement the law.”