DILG: 2M loose firearms circulating in PH

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Thursday said there are an estimated two million loose firearms in the country.

During the budget hearing of the DILG at the Senate, Secretary Jonvic Remulla said they were using the agency’s confidential funds for intelligence gathering ahead of their proposal to amend the so-called Robin Padilla Law.

The Robin Padilla Law is the nickname of Republic Act (RA) 8294, which amended Presidential Decree No. 1866, the law setting the rules for firearms. RA 8294 made the unlawful possession of firearms a bailable offense.

“We estimate in the range of the high of two million,” Remulla said when asked by Sen. JV Ejercito how many unlicensed firearms there were nationwide.

Ejercito was surprised by the number, saying that it used to just be 500,000 to 600,000.

“Ninety-eight percent of the crimes committed in the Philippines use loose firearms so we feel it best that if we do catch them and we do have search warrants, that the charges be non-bailable,” Remulla said.

The owners of loose firearms tend to be recidivists, Remulla said. Once they post bail, they go out and commit another crime.

The remaining two percent of armed crimes were from licensed guns, and they were usually committed within homes or in some instances, when a child gets their hand on the firearm, the DILG chief said.

Remulla said the DILG is also moving for greater accountability in gun ownership. It said there should be equal accountability for the owners of licensed firearms should someone steal their gun and use it to commit a crime. —RF, GMA News