PNP won’t seal cops’ firearms during holiday revelry

For the second straight year, the Philippine National Police (PNP) will do away with the practice of sealing the muzzles of policemen’s firearms supposedly to prevent cases of indiscriminate firing during the holidays.

Instead, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Guillermo Eleazar said they would intensify the campaign against loose firearms to significantly reduce cases of indiscriminate firing in Metro Manila.

The NCRPO chief commended Chief Supt. Rolando Anduyan, director of the Northern Police District (NPD), for confiscating 133 loose firearms during his weeklong operations in the cities of Navotas, Valenzuela, Caloocan and Malabon.

“The accounting of loose firearms would surely help us greatly in ensuring the Christmas and New Year celebrations (would) be peaceful and (would have) no casualty (from) indiscriminate firing,” Eleazar said, adding that this would be done during the election season as well.

He directed his remaining district directors to conduct their own intensified campaign against loose firearms so Metro Manila would be free from cases of indiscriminate firing. The sealing of firearm muzzles was first introduced by former PNP chief Edgar Aglipay to prevent cops from indiscriminately firing their guns during the twin celebrations.

However, PNP chief Director General Oscar Albayalde shelved the program last year, pointing out that it leaves a bad impression on the public who might view policemen as officers who could not be trusted.

According to Eleazar, they would instead deploy additional uniformed policemen in areas where indiscriminate firing of guns happened in the past Christmas and New Year celebrations so violators would be immediately arrested and put behind bars.

Eleazar also cancelled the rest and recreation and other leave applications of policemen and directed them to report for duty during the holidays.