Drive up vs 'hot guns'
Over 8,000 loose firearms in Western Visayas are being eyed for licensing with the government offering an amnesty to its holders.
Surrender or be fined, Malacañang in an Executive Order (EO) then warned as records from Camp Crame's Directorate of Intelligence confirmed said bulk of unlicensed firearms throughout the region.
As provided by EO 585, an amnesty program for loose firearms holders is up solely for the purpose of registration and licensing. The amnesty began December 11, 2006 and was earlier set to end December 11 this year. Yet with the "interruption" from January 14 to June 13th, the amnesty period is extended until June 13, 2008.
Guidelines are set for applicants in the amnesty among which is that one must be Filipino Citizen who is at least 21 years of age, or has Juridical Entity authorized by law to possess firearms.
Further still, an applicant must first secure a Permit to Transport (PTT) before carrying the firearm and ammunition from its location to where the firearms shall be processed.
"The PTT may be issued by the Police City/Provincial/Regional Director or Chief, FESAGSS or Chief, Civil Security Group (CSG). After securing the PTT, the applicant shall properly wrap and label the firearm and ammunition and submit the same to the police office where the PTT was issued," Police Regional Office (PRO) 6, Public Information Office in a news release explained
"The amnesty fee is three thousand pesos (P3,000.00) for High Powered Firearms while two thousand pesos (P2,000.00) for Low Powered Firearms The amnesty program also provides that those who will surrender their firearms, especially some high powered rifles and paltik firearms which are not allowed for licensing, will not be prosecuted for illegal possession of firearm while in the act of surrendering the said firearms."