ONE-STOP SHOP. Col. Eduardo Abaday, Regional Civil Security Unit Western Visayas chief, said a reduction in the number of unregistered firearms in the region is being eyed through a two-day License to Own and Possess Firearms and Firearms Registration Caravan set on April 1-2, 2022 at the SM City Iloilo. In a press conference on Wednesday (March 30, 2022) he said Firearms and Explosives Office recorded 28, 794 unregistered firearms in Western Visayas. (Screengrab from Police Regional Office 6 Public Information Office livestreaming)
ILOILO CITY – A two-day License to Own and Possess Firearms (LTOPF) and Firearms Registration caravan set on April 1-2, 2022 in this city is seen to reduce the number of unregistered firearms in Western Visayas.
“The very purpose of this caravan is to reduce the number of unregistered firearms in the entire Region 6, particularly in Iloilo and Negros Occidental with high number of unregistered firearms,” said Col. Eduardo Abaday, chief of the Regional Civil Security Unit (RCSU) Western Visayas, in a press conference on Wednesday.
The two-day LTOPF will be held at the SM City here from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Abaday said based on the records from the Firearms and Explosives Office there are 28, 794 unregistered firearms in the entire Region 6 (Western Visayas) as of March 15, 2022.
The highest number is in Iloilo with 6,307; Negros Occidental 5,689; Iloilo City 4,692; and Bacolod City with 4,645.
Unregistered or loose firearms are those that were previously registered but were not renewed.
Abaday said the registration significantly declined during the pandemic and the election period.
Others also got confused about the requirements and the need for online registration.
“We notify the licensee to deposit their unregistered firearms while processing their registration. The policy is that they must be notified three times. If they can’t report to the concerned police unit then they will be subjected to (a) police operation," the regional CSU chief said.
Those who will be availing the caravan, which is in a form of a one-stop shop, will get assisted for them to have their LTOPF, which is a pre-requisite for securing firearms registration.
They have to bring with them a valid identification card and police clearance.
They only have to pay for the conduct of drug
and neuropsychiatric tests, both available in the venue, and the processing of the LTOPF. (PNA)
