PNP intensifies drive vs loose firearms

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) has intensified operations to account for hundreds of thousands of firearms with expired licenses.

A businessman from Davao City, gun enthusiast Jesus Martinez, surrendered 25 firearms to acting PNP chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. at Camp Crame in Quezon City yesterday.

Nartatez said Martinez’s decision to surrender his firearms with expired licenses is an act of goodwill and would help the government in the campaign to rid the streets of loose guns.

Nartatez also pointed out Martinez’s role as chairman of the police Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group’s advisory group.

The PNP chief urged other gun owners to emulate Martinez and surrender their firearms with expired licenses.

Based on PNP records, Nartatez said there are hundreds of thousands of loose firearms across the country, which could potentially land in the hands of criminals who might use these weapons in illegal activities.

Apart from illegal drugs, Nartatez said accounting of loose guns is among the PNP’s priorities as the two are primary denominators in crime reduction.

Martinez, for his part, said he opted to surrender his firearms to entice around 20,000 members of the advisory group to do the same.

The firearms, with an estimated value of P10 million, will be subjected to ballistics examination to determine if these were used in shooting incidents.