ILOILO City — Shooting incidents in Western Visayas declined by 30.43 percent in September this year compared to the previous month, as the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) intensified its campaign against loose firearms.
PRO-6 data showed that shooting cases fell from 23 in August to 16 in September. The downward trend appears to extend into October, with only six shooting incidents recorded across the region during the first 18 days of the month.
Police Brig. Gen. Randulf Tuaño, PRO-6 director, said the campaign, dubbed RTT 3389 (Restrict, Track, and Turn-In), aims to reduce the number of loose firearms in communities and prevent violence involving guns.
“Every firearm that we remove from our communities is a potential danger that we prevent. The success of RTT 3389 should not be measured solely by the number of firearms recovered, but also by the lives we can save and the acts of violence we can prevent,” Tuaño said.
However, the figures alone do not establish whether the decline was directly caused by the campaign, which was launched in August 2026.
RTT 3389 focuses on monitoring loose firearms and encouraging their voluntary surrender. Its name refers to the 3,389 barangays across Western Visayas, which are expected to participate in the initiative alongside the police.
PRO-6 reported that 266 loose firearms were voluntarily surrendered to authorities during the first half of October alone.
The police regional office continues to appeal to residents holding unlicensed or unregistered firearms to coordinate with their nearest police station to arrange their voluntary surrender in accordance with existing procedures.
Similarly, gun owners whose firearm licenses or registrations have expired were also advised to coordinate with authorities regarding the temporary deposit of their firearms under authorized Philippine National Police custody while they process the renewal of their documents.
PRO-6 pledged to sustain anti-firearm operations, boost police visibility, and strengthen partnerships with local government units and barangay officials across the region./PN
