MANILA, Philippines (Philippines News Agency) — The Philippine National Police will no longer put a tape on gun muzzles of cops during the Christmas and New Year revelries.
In a press conference in Camp Crame on Tuesday, PNP spokesman Senior Superintendent Dionardo Carlos said that during the command conference last Thursday, there was a proposal to forgo the putting of tape on the muzzle of the guns and it was approved by PNP chief Director General Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa.
"(As such), we will no longer put a tape in the muzzle of side firearms and long firearms of the police,” Carlos said.
”Basically, the leadership of the PNP believes that this is a disciplined organization [from] members of the PNP down to the patroller on the ground... the chief PNP trusts they are disciplined and professional enough that they know what is the right thing to do,” he added.
Carlos explained that the taping of the muzzle is "a symbolic way in the previous years of reminding our personnel not to use their guns (during the revelry). It’s a violation (of the law)."
He said the view of the PNP chief is that “the leadership trusts his personnel — they are professional and disciplined enough that we don't need really to put tape on the muzzles of their firearms just to remind them.”