PNP eyes final gun amnesty next month

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine National Police (PNP) is planning to implement a final general amnesty in September to account for over half a million firearms with expired licenses, a police official said.

The proposal for a final general amnesty has been submitted to PNP chief Director General Ricardo Marquez for approval, said Senior Superintendent Sydney Hernia, chief of the Licensing Division of the PNP-Firearms and Explosives Office (FEO).

“Regarding the final general amnesty, we have the target of implementing it this third quarter of this year,” Hernia told reporters in a press briefing in Camp Crame. “Our draft command memorandum circular is now almost done. We have to wait for the approval of the PNP chief.”

The PNP implemented a gun amnesty in 2009, though present FEO officials could not provide any figure on the number of firearms accounted at the time.

“We have approximately 600,000 licensees and each of them has different numbers of firearms, some of them have more than 15 firearms,” Hernia said.

At present, he said there are 1.7 million registered firearms at the database of the FEO Licensing Division. He said some of these firearms have expired licenses.

Hernia said the PNP continues to implement Oplan Katok to account for unrenewed firearm licenses.

Oplan Katok was designed to check on gun holders who failed to renew the registration of firearms. Loose firearms were frequently used in committing crimes.

Hernia clarified that their proposal for a final general amnesty includes options on whether the gun holders will apply first for the license to own and possess firearms (LTOPF).

“Another option is for the gun holder with expired firearm to apply for the renewal of the gun registration at the same time secure and apply for the LTOPF. The third option is to renew the gun registration and work on their LTOPF later,” he explained.