ILOILO City — Police have removed 858 undocumented and unregistered firearms from communities across Western Visayas in just over two months, seeking to prevent the weapons from falling into criminal hands and being used in violent incidents.
The firearms were voluntarily surrendered from May 15 to July 31 under Project R.T.T., or Restrict, Track and Turn-in, an intensified campaign of the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) against loose firearms.
PRO-6 director Police Brigadier General Randulf Tuaño presented the surrendered weapons on August 10 at the regional police’s multipurpose hall in Camp Martin Teofilo Delgado, Iloilo City.
“Ipagpatuloy ang kampanya… Alam naman po natin na may mga insidente tayo na ginagamit ang loose firearms,” Tuaño stressed.
Iloilo registered the highest number of surrendered firearms at 410, followed by Antique with 129; Aklan, 97; Capiz, 95; Iloilo City, 59; Regional Mobile Force Battalion (RMFB), 57; and Guimaras, 11.
Tuaño attributed the turnout to intensified operations involving provincial and city police offices and the RMFB.
Project R.T.T. encourages owners to legally and voluntarily turn over undocumented firearms or weapons with expired licenses or registrations.
Police units work with barangay officials, local government units and community partners to locate gun owners, monitor firearms with deficient documentation and negotiate their voluntary surrender without coercion.
Tuaño said every loose firearm taken out of circulation represents a potentially deadly incident prevented.
“Every firearm voluntarily surrendered is one less that could fall into the wrong hands. For us, that’s a life that could be saved and an incident that could be prevented. It’s better to act proactively and collaborate with the community rather than wait for these firearms to be used in a crime,” Tuaño stressed.
He urged gun owners with licensing or registration problems to approach the authorities before their firearms become a legal or public-safety concern.
“If you have an undocumented firearm or one with expired licenses or registrations, don’t wait for this to become a problem. Contact the proper authorities and take the legal steps. The police are here to guide you and ensure that the process is legal and compliant with the law,” he added.
Meanwhile, PRO-6 reported that 3,254 of the 3,429 firearms it presented to the media on June 22 have been submitted to the Regional Forensic Unit 6 for ballistic examination.
The remaining 175 firearms from the Capiz Provincial Police Office will be turned over after the forensic unit completes its visit.
PRO-6 reminded firearm owners to maintain valid licenses and registrations and store their weapons safely in compliance with existing laws.
Owners of firearms with expired or incomplete documentation were advised to contact the nearest police station or firearms office for proper guidance./PN
