Licenses of most firearms expired: City

General Services Office says renewal of licenses will be renewed before guns will be given to the police and other City Hall officials and employees

THE Cebu City Government will start processing the expired licenses of more than 250 guns it owned.

General Services Office (GSO) acting chief Ronald Malacora said the renewal of the licenses of the firearms will be done before they will be given to the police and other City Hall officials and employees.

Most of the firearms, which were not turned over to the City Government for how many years have expired licenses.

Malacora said Mayor Tomas Osmeña already gave him an order to give back the guns after inventory, particularly to the personnel of the Cebu City Police Office.

The distribution will be made even after the mayor announced that he will withdraw his support to all the anti-illegal drug campaign of the police following the reshuffling and reassignments of some of the police officers in the city and region.

Right now, the City has 254 assorted firearms, including 24 20-gauge shotguns, 59 9mm pistols, and 61 .38 caliber revolvers.

Malacora said requirements for the renewal of these firearms, which include the expired licenses of the guns, will be submitted to the Firearms ad Explosives Division of the Philippine National Police in Camp Crame.

“I already instructed our personnel two weeks ago to submit the requirements, so the distribution of the guns will be ready once the mayor will be back in the city,” Malacora said.

As of now they are asking those who have not returned the firearms to return them so it will be included in the permit processing.

Malacora said there are less than 50 firearms mostly from the police that were not yet returned to the city.

To those who will still fail to return their city issued firearms after the deadline, Malacora said GSO will sought the help of the City Legal Office on what to do with them.

Since July 15, Osmeña ordered CCPO, the city councilors, department heads, barangay officials and City Hall employees through a memorandum to return the firearms issued by the City Government for the inventory.

Upon receipt of the memorandum, they were given five days to return it to GSO.

“Kon mo lapse na gani, ang buhaton sa City mangayo tag advice sa city legal or ato hatagan ug final demand then after pasa balik sa city legal para sa appropriate action,” Malacora said.