One-stop shop for gun license renewal eyed in January 2016

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) is planning to set up a one-stop shop for gun license renewal early next year in response to gun owners' complaints regarding the current slow process for renewing their licenses.

In a press briefing in Camp Crame on Wednesday, DILG Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento said a Civil Security Group building is already being prepared for this purpose.

“Unang-una marami pong serbisyong binibigay ang CSG at maraming panawagan ang mga responsible gun owners na sana 'yung proseso ng kanilang pagre-renew ng kanilang baril [ay] medyo ma-simplify at hindi gaanong katagal at kahirap,” he said.

“So itong one-stop shop malaking maitutulong sa kanila kasi pagdating nila dito, unang-una may access sa EDSA, hindi naman po nila kailangan pang pumasok sa kampo, at saka lahat ng steps na pinapalipat -ipat sila ng building nasa isang building na lang po para mapabilis ang kanilang proseso, pagre-renew at pag-apply ng lisensya ng kanilang baril,” he added.

Sarmiento said the one-stop shop will also mean faster transactions.

“Hinahanap ho ng tao is speed. Kahit nga kumukuha ng drivers license ang hinahanap ng public [ay] speed. So that's what the public would want to ask from government and we are very sensitive to that and that's the very reason we are setting this up,” he said.

Sarmiento also said they plan on decentralizing gun license renewals, taking into account how gun owners from provinces have to travel to Metro Manila just to renew their licenses.

“Ang cost pa lang ng airfare from Mindanao for example to Manila napakalaki ng gastos. Magho-hotel pa sila. So dito po malaking tulong ito hindi lang sa gastusin kundi sa speed. We will be closely monitoring this 'yung speed,” he said.

For his part, Philippine National Police (PNP)chief Director General Ricardo Marquez said they are targeting the completion of the CSG building and the new and faster gun license renewal process by January 2016.

“Ang guidance ng ating SILG is bawasan 'yung signatories, bilisan ang proseso para maging talagang ito 'yung tunay na one-stop shop,” he said.

Marquez said there will be six decentralization offices in various areas nationwide.

“That would be in Davao, Cebu, may mga port areas kung saan pumapasok 'yung mga barko na may dala raw materials so that we can process the permit on site. Hindi na sa Camp Crame,” he said.

Marquez also admitted that the current process discourages a lot of gun owners from renewing their licenses, resulting in many gun owners with expired licenses.

“Medyo very tedious ['yung proseso]. You will have to go to one building to another. You go to the health service, crime lab, to another building to pay,” he said.

He expressed hope that the new process " would entice more people to renew their [licenses]." —Andrei Medina/KBK, GMA News