Bato justifies need for police to carry service firearms 24/7

Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa on Wednesday said police officers in the country need to carry their service firearms even when they are off-duty because they have a mandate to serve and protect all the time.

He made this remark after Senator Panfilo Lacson — who, like Dela Rosa, is also a former chief of the Philippine National Police  — recommended a policy where cops would be required to turn in their service firearms to their unit's armory when they are not on duty status.

"Ikaw pulis ka... Sabihin [natin] may lalapit sa 'yo, 'Sir, pakitulong may nagpapatayan doon!' Sasabihin ng pulis, 'Uy, hindi ako pwedeng mag-respond diyan dahil off-duty ako.' Hindi 'yun puwede," Dela Rosa said in an interview on ANC.

"You are a policeman 24 hours, so you should be ready to respond. To be able to respond, dapat kumpleto ka, may armas ka. 'Yan ang rationale behind sa policy ni President [Rodrigo] Duterte," he added.

Senator Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go, another ally of the administration, has also justified that unarmed policemen would be vulnerable to ambush attacks.

"Pinayagan nga sila ni Pangulong Duterte na magdala ng armas dahil marami pong mga pulis natin na walang kalaban-laban na-a-ambush po, minsan pag sumakay sila sa pampublikong sasakyan, eh, may mga lugar na rebelde ay sila po 'yung walang kalaban-laban na binabaril," he said in a statement.

Go, nonetheless, reminded the police officers not to use their service firearms to intimidate and abuse civilians.

Aside from limiting the use of service firearms, Lacson has also suggested to ban the issuance of permits to carry personal firearms outside residence for police officers.

Lacson made these recommendations after a policeman assigned in Paranaque, Police Master Sergeant Jonel Nuezca, shot and killed two unarmed neighbors in Paniqui, Tarlac, during an altercation last weekend.

The suspect is facing two counts of murder for the shooting incident, which stemmed from an altercation over "boga" and right of way.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said the incident is an isolated case and that the majority of policemen in the country are still true to their mandate of serving and protecting the people. —KBK, GMA News