EDITORIAL - More gun violence

How easy it is to kill in this country, with guns readily available. Last Wednesday morning in Antipolo, Rizal, video footage showed a man sauntering through an alley and shooting dead a jeepney driver who was seated at a table in Barangay Sta. Cruz.

Lethal gun violence has become a feature in Philippine elections. Even in barangay races, murder is employed as the ultimate tool for eliminating political rivals.

On Wednesday night, Mayor Joel Ruma of Cagayan’s Rizal town became the latest casualty of what is believed to be a case of election violence. Ruma was at a campaign event when he was shot dead by an assailant who remains at large. Three people were wounded.

Apart from the ease of bringing in guns through porous coastal areas and even right through government-operated ports of entry and Customs, it also appears to be just as easy to obtain gun licenses, even for foreigners.

A Chinese national arrested and tagged as the mastermind in the ransom kidnapping and murder of businessman Anson Que and his driver Armanie Pabillo turned out to have a valid gun license with 10-year validity. David Tan Liao was found to own seven guns, based on records of the Firearms and Explosive Office or FEO of the Philippine National Police.

PNP officials said Tan Liao apparently obtained the gun licenses using different names. This raises serious concern about official documentation of foreigners in this country. Probers said that before the murders of Que and Pabillo, Tan Liao had been linked to other heinous crimes including kidnapping, rape and murder, a number of which were related to Philippine offshore gaming operator hubs.

How do foreigners obtain guns in the Philippines? Some cases showed guns being sold to civilians by PNP and military personnel. POGO bosses also enjoyed protection from moonlighting Philippine security forces, including members of the elite PNP Special Action Force.

Photos and video of Tan Liao are currently circulating, showing him hobnobbing with Philippine politicians. Did this access to local VIPs help him obtain licenses for seven guns? Ordinary Filipino civilians are limited to just one hand gun, and the process of obtaining a license to own a firearm can be tortuous.

The case of Tan Liao should prompt the PNP to scrutinize procedures and personnel in the FEO. Other agencies must also move decisively to plug the loopholes that have allowed guns to proliferate, with even foreigners gaining easy access to deadly weapons.