ILOILO City — The Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) seized 49 loose firearms and two explosive devices during a series of operations across Western Visayas in a day.
Records from PRO-6 showed that from the morning of September 8 to September 9, police units executed 47 operations under the Restrict, Track, and Turn-in (RTT) program. Recovered were 46 firearms and two explosives.
Additionally, police operatives conducted two separate police operations under the Application for Deposit of Firearms with Expired Registration (ADFER) program, resulting in the surrender and seizure of three more unregistered guns.
Police Brigadier General Randulf Tuaño, director of PRO-6, said the recovery of the 49 firearms reflects the police force’s intensified campaign to eradicate illegal weapons in the region.
“The support of the community is really a big help in our campaign against unlicensed firearms. We will continue to run after individuals who possess unrenewed and homemade guns,” said Tuaño.
The region’s top cop emphasized that PRO-6 will further intensify its community information drive to encourage firearm owners to renew their licenses as part of the “soft hand” approach before law enforcers resort to strict enforcement, or the “iron hand” approach.
“We encourage the public to report individuals illegally possessing firearms to the nearest police station or through the unified 911,” Tuaño added./PN
