ILOILO City – Police authorities are moving to determine the whereabouts and actual status of some 27,000 firearms with expired licenses across Western Visayas, amid concerns that an undetermined number may have been lost, transferred out of their registered owners’ custody or become loose firearms.
The Regional Civil Security Unit (RCSU) of the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) is intensifying its firearms accounting campaign through the revitalized “Katok” program, which seeks to establish whether the weapons remain in the possession of their registered owners or have fallen outside legal custody.
Police Colonel Romeo Galgo Jr., acting chief of RCSU Region 6, said the initiative goes beyond compelling gun owners to renew expired licenses, as authorities also intend to trace firearms whose present whereabouts and custody status have yet to be established.
The approximately 27,000 firearms with expired licenses represent a major accounting challenge for police authorities, although the figure does not necessarily mean that all the weapons are missing or illegally possessed.
Galgo said police personnel will initially contact registered firearm owners to determine why they failed to renew their licenses and establish whether the weapons remain in their possession.
“We will first determine the reasons why these firearm owners were unable to renew their licenses. We want to know their circumstances and guide them through the proper process so they can comply with the requirements,” Galgo said.
The RCSU-6 will also utilize an online system to gather information from firearm owners, including the circumstances behind their failure to renew their licenses.
Under existing licensing requirements, firearm licenses have prescribed validity periods of five or 10 years, depending on the type of license.
“There is a five-year or 10-year renewal period, and firearm owners are expected to follow the proper process to renew their licenses. We want to make sure that firearms remain in the legal custody of their registered owners,” Galgo explained.
The police official said owners whose firearms remain in their possession will be encouraged to renew their licenses, with RCSU-6 personnel providing assistance in completing the necessary documentation.
“We will assist the firearm owners in processing the necessary documents for renewal. The objective is to help them comply with the law and properly account for the firearms registered under their names,” he said.
Tracing missing firearms
A more complicated process awaits firearm owners who can no longer account for weapons registered under their names.
Galgo said firearms reported lost or no longer in the possession of their registered owners will undergo a separate verification and documentation procedure.
Owners will be required to submit a police blotter report, an investigation report and an affidavit of undertaking explaining the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of their firearms.
“For firearms that have been lost, there is a separate process. The owner needs to report the loss and submit the required documents, including the blotter report, investigation report and affidavit of undertaking, so that the circumstances can be properly established,” Galgo said.
Police authorities will investigate and verify the reported circumstances before determining the appropriate action and classification of the firearms involved.
Once the required verification and documentation have been completed, authorities may issue endorsements for firearms confirmed lost and no longer under the legal custody of their registered owners.
Such weapons may subsequently be accounted for and classified as loose firearms under existing police procedures.
The distinction is crucial to the campaign because an expired firearm license does not automatically establish that the weapon is missing, while a firearm that has disappeared from its registered owner’s custody presents a separate concern for police monitoring and accountability.
Galgo emphasized that the revitalized Katok program is intended to establish an accurate inventory of firearms, identify those that remain legally accounted for and determine which weapons require further police action.
“Our goal is to account for these firearms and establish their actual status. If a firearm is still with its registered owner, we can assist the owner in complying with the renewal requirements. But if it is already lost or no longer under the owner’s legal custody, we have to follow the proper process to have it accounted for,” he said./PN
