ILOILO City – The Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) has removed 3,683 loose firearms from circulation across Western Visayas since 2019, with police saying the massive voluntary surrender campaign has prevented thousands of unregistered weapons from potentially being used in violent crimes.
During the presentation of the surrendered firearms on Monday, June 29, PRO-6 director Brigadier General Randulf Tuaño said the campaign’s true success lies not in the number of weapons collected but in the crimes that may have been prevented.
“This is not just about the data. This is not just about confiscation. This is about deterring the possibility of crimes that could be committed,” Tuaño said.
Police records showed that 3,429 surrendered firearms are now under police custody, while another 254 are undergoing ballistic examination at the Regional Forensic Unit, bringing the total to 3,683.
Tuaño said intelligence assessments indicate that around 20 to 30 percent of loose firearms could eventually be used in criminal activities if left unaccounted for.
“Based on our assessment, around 20 to 30 percent of these surrendered firearms could have been used in different crimes. That is the importance of the data that we have. These are not just numbers — they represent the hard work of PRO-6 in preventing crimes from happening,” he said.
Among the provinces, Antique registered the highest number of surrendered firearms with 1,236, followed by Aklan with 978, including 116 already turned over to the Regional Forensic Unit, and Iloilo Province with 959.
Iloilo City accounted for 177 surrendered firearms, including 138 already undergoing forensic examination.
All surrendered firearms will undergo ballistic examination to determine whether they had previously been used in criminal offenses.
“After the presentation, the firearms will undergo ballistic examination at the Regional Forensic Unit. Those found to be non-functional will be turned over for demilitarization,” Tuaño said.
Under the demilitarization process, firearms are dismantled, cut into pieces, and disposed of, with recyclable steel materials eventually sold through public bidding.
“The firearms will undergo firearms and explosives disposal. They will be cut into pieces, the wooden components will be separated, and the remaining steel materials will eventually be sold as scrap through public bidding,” said Tuaño.
Despite the accomplishment, Tuaño said PRO-6 estimates there are still about 28,000 loose firearms circulating across Western Visayas, compared with approximately 43,000 licensed firearms in the region.
He said police continue intelligence operations against unregistered firearms, including homemade “paltik” guns and illegal manufacturers believed to be operating in parts of the region.
“We continuously account for loose firearms because all of these are unregistered. Homemade firearms, locally known as ‘paltik,’ remain the subject of our intelligence build-up as we determine where these weapons are being manufactured,” he said.
Tuaño added that some of the confiscated or surrendered firearms may have originated from Danao City, Cebu, long associated with the underground manufacture of homemade firearms.
PRO-6 is also monitoring firearm owners with expired registrations. Police data showed there are currently 2,816 individuals, including 212 law enforcement personnel, and 789 juridical entities with expired firearm registrations. Around 300 firearms owned by local government units likewise have expired registrations.
To improve compliance, the regional police continue to conduct firearm licensing caravans to make the renewal of Licenses to Own and Possess Firearms (LTOPF) more accessible.
“One of our initiatives is conducting caravans because before renewing a firearm registration, owners must first renew their License to Own and Possess Firearms (LTOPF). We are bringing these services closer to the public to encourage more firearm owners to comply with the law,” Tuaño said.
He also urged those still keeping unregistered firearms to surrender them voluntarily before intensified police operations begin.
“We encourage anyone still in possession of loose firearms to surrender them. If a firearm has no registration, it is illegal and may become the subject of police operations. It is better to voluntarily surrender it now,” he said./PN
