Chief Supt. Ronald dela Rosa, incoming chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), has vowed to make it easier the licensing and renewal of firearms.
Part of the move, according to Dela Rosa, is to decentralize the processing of licensing and renewal of firearms to bring them closer to the gun owners.
“There was already a pronouncement on that from our Mayor (President-elect Rodrigo Duterte). He does not want people to wait very long,” said Dela Rosa. “If they are qualified to own firearms, why make them wait? Why make them suffer?”
As initial measures, Dela Rosa said they are now eyeing the opening of as many processing areas in the regions for both the licensing and renewal of firearms.
Owning a gun in the current dispensation has been difficult due to additional requirements that include in the mandatory License to Own and Possess Firearms (LTOFP).
Officials of the Association of Firearms and Ammunition Dealers of the Philippines (AFAD) welcomed the move by the incoming administration for a swift processing of firearms license.
Lawyer Hector Rodriguez, AFAD president, said such commitment from the incoming administration will only encourage delinquent gun owners to renew the license of their guns.
Rodriguez also described Duterte’s recent statement on the issuance of Permit to Carry Firearms Outside of Residence (PTCFOR) as a “positive development” not only for the legitimate gun owners but also to the peace-loving communities in the country as well.
“The licensed firearms holders can be a multiplier force in maintaining peace and order in their respective community,” the AFAD president explained. (Aaron B. Recuenco)
