BUTUAN CITY, Philippines – The Caraga regional police based at Camp Rafael Rodriguez here said there are an estimated 8,430 loose firearms in the entire region.
In a statement, Superintendent Martin Mercado Gamba, spokesman of the Region 13 police, said owners of these firearms have failed to renew their licenses, thus these guns can be subjected to legitimate police seizure.
The regional police leadership is appealing to gun owners who failed to renew their licenses or are no longer interested in doing so, to surrender their guns to the nearest police station to avoid criminal prosecution.
Chief Superintendent Carmelo Valmoria, Caraga police director, recently ordered an intensified campaign against loose firearms through on-the-spot gun checks at checkpoints installed across the region.