MANILA, Philippines — Senators from the minority bloc on Monday opposed a plan to arm anti-crime civilian groups, saying it would not address the problem of criminality and poverty in the country.
President Rodrigo Duterte had suggested to the Philippine National Police to issue firearms on a new group of volunteers. "If you are qualified, get a gun and help us enforce the laws," he said on June 25.
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Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon in a statement said such a proposal would not deter crimes, which are driven by factors such as poverty, hunger and joblessness.
"More guns do not make a country safe," he said. "What the government needs to do is to bring back good governance to address the causes of criminality."
PNP has since backed Duterte's call, as it sought to reject that the president was encouraging vigilantism. The police force itself has also figured in documented cases of its cops who shot individuals, trigerring calls for reforms that the Duterte administration has rejected.
Drilon said the PNP should instead implement better firearm licensing regulations and intensify operations against loose firearms.
Data from the police has acknowledged that almost 99% of firearms used in crimes are loose firearms, or guns with unrenewed license.
The Senate veteran added in Filipino: "When people's stomach are grumbling, what they need is food, not bullets."
Sen. Risa Hontiveros urged PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar to rethink the administration's proposal, too. She said bearing arms require professional training, and PNP should not look to others in their job on keeping order in communities.
"Let's not give opportunity to non-state actors such as anti-crime civilian groups to become abusive from this mandate," she said in Filipino. "The number of firearms has never been the measure of peace and order in a country."
Over the weekend, Vice President Leni Robredo and the Commission on Human Rights aired their opposition to the suggestion.
The country's No. 2 said the country should learn from previous experiences, while CHR warned that it could lead to "lawlessness and proliferation of arms, which may further negatively impact the human rights situation in the country."
Drilon vowed to oppose such moves that may reach the Senate.
He said his colleagues are unlikely to support the president's suggestion, citing a proposed measure backed by the administration then to arm firefighters which failed to hurdle in the chamber. — Christian Deiparine with reports from Franco Luna