PRO-6 collects 3,600 guns in 7-year campaign vs loose weapons

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — In a significant move toward enhancing public safety, the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) has collected a total of 3,683 voluntarily surrendered firearms as of June 29 this year.

The firearms, collected across Western Visayas since 2019, underscore the region’s intensified campaign against loose firearms.

The initiative aligns with the Philippine National Police (PNP) focus agenda emphasizing preventive policing and crime reduction, PRO-6 said in a statement. By encouraging the voluntary surrender of undocumented weapons, the police are able to intercept tools for potential violence before they can be utilized in criminal activities, it added.

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READ: Civilians surrender 79 loose guns, get livelihood package

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According to PRO-6, 3,429 of the surrendered firearms are currently secured by various police units, while the remaining 254 have been transferred to the Regional Forensic Unit 6 (RFU 6).

PRO-6 said all surrendered weapons will undergo ballistic examination at RFU 6 to determine if they are linked to any unsolved crimes while firearms deemed non-serviceable will undergo demilitarization following proper evaluation and documentation protocols.

READ: Task Force Zamboanga turns over loose firearms to city government

The Antique Police Provincial Office (PPO) led the region in collections, with 1,236 firearms, followed by the Iloilo PPO with 959, and the Aklan PPO with 862. Other contributing units included the Capiz PPO, 175, Regional Mobile Force Battalion 6 with 121, Iloilo City Police Office, 39, and the Guimaras PPO, 37.

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Police Brigadier General Randulf T. Tuaño, PRO-6 acting director, extended his gratitude to PRO-6 personnel, local government units, partner agencies and community stakeholders for supporting the campaign against loose firearms.

“Our campaign is not merely about collecting firearms. It is about preventing violence before it happens,” Tuaño said in a recent briefing.

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“Every firearm voluntarily surrendered is one less weapon that may be used to threaten lives, disturb peace, or commit crimes,” he added. /cb

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