8,313 loose guns owned by pols – PNP

MANILA, Philippines — Up to 8,313 guns owned by elected government officials have expired licenses, according to the Civil Security Group (CSG) of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Data from the CSG released yesterday showed that the firearms with expired licenses represent 27.64 percent of the 30,068 guns owned by politicians.

CSG director Brig. Gen. Benjamin Silo Jr. said about 50 percent of the loose firearms are owned by barangay officials.

The CSG has yet to release data on the number of elected officials with firearms.

“What we did in CSG is… encourage these elected officials to renew their expired licenses,” Silo told reporters in an interview.

The PNP has intensified its operations to account for loose firearms in preparation for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections on Oct. 30.

With half of the loose firearms belonging to barangay officials, Silo said the CSG would seek assistance from the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s Barangay Affairs Office to encourage the officials to renew their gun licenses.

“We will be providing the Comelec (Commission on Elections) with the same copies to also remind our barangay officials,” he added.

The CSG chief reminded gun holders to renew their licenses or they will be subjected to law enforcement operations.

Over the weekend, Mayor Nilo Villanueva of Mabini, Batangas and his two brothers were arrested for alleged illegal possession of guns and explosives.

No security threat

Meanwhile, there are no security threats monitored related to the barangay and SK elections in Metro Manila, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Maj. Gen. Edgar Allan Okubo said yesterday.

Okubo said police had met with Comelec officials and are just waiting for the final list of polling areas to reorganize personnel to be deployed in polling precincts.

He said the NCRPO has not monitored any threat to barangay officials.

”There were previous reports of incidents and we are trying to consolidate that and check whether those incidents during the last elections are still valid, concerning the involvement of barangay officials,” he said. — Daphne Galvez