By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA, Philippines — Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla is pushing for tougher safeguards on legally issued firearms, including a proposal that would give the Philippine National Police (PNP) authority to inspect the homes of gun owners to determine whether their weapons are properly secured.
Remulla proposed Thursday during a House appropriations committee hearing on the proposed budget of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), as lawmakers examined whether existing rules governing government-issued firearms need to be tightened.
The proposal comes after two separate fatal shooting incidents in Tacloban and Zamboanga in which minors gained access to firearms legally owned or issued to adults.
Responding to a question from Akbayan Party-list Rep. Dadah Ismula about possible amendments to guidelines on the handling of government-issued firearms, Remulla said the implementing rules and regulations should be revised to allow police to verify how lawfully issued firearms are being kept.
“What we are proposing is that the IRR has to be amended that all lawfully issued firearms are to be… The PNP will be granted access to all homes of lawfully issued firearms to inspect their procedures in safekeeping,” Remulla said.
Remulla pointed out that the country has about 800,000 uniformed personnel, many of whom are entrusted with firearms in connection with their duties.
He stressed that firearm holders are responsible for safeguarding their weapons at all times and preventing unauthorized persons from gaining access to them.
The proposed home inspections, however, could raise questions involving privacy and other legal rights.
Remulla acknowledged that the measure could draw criticism but argued that firearm ownership is a privilege granted by law and is subject to government regulation.
“This might upset a few people because… it might be interpreted as infringement of rights. However, we must remember that the privilege to own a gun is not enshrined in our Constitution,” he said.
The proposal follows heightened scrutiny of firearm safekeeping after the recent shootings.
In the Tacloban shooting, the PNP reported that the firearm used belonged to a policewoman who was the aunt of one of the shooters. During a Senate inquiry, the policewoman said her nephew broke into her home and took her firearm.
In the Ateneo de Zamboanga University shooting, the firearm reportedly belonged to the father of the student involved, a Bureau of Customs personnel. Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno said the father had left his firearms inside a vehicle that was later used to bring the student to the school.
The two incidents have fueled renewed calls for stricter accountability among firearm owners and government personnel entrusted with service weapons.
Remulla has also called on Congress to repeal or revisit Republic Act No. 8294, which amended the martial law-era Presidential Decree No. 1866 and reduced penalties for illegal possession of firearms while making the offense bailable.
The government’s principal firearms law, Republic Act No. 10591, or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act, governs the ownership, possession, carrying, manufacture and importation of firearms and ammunition.
Remulla’s proposed amendment would expand the government’s ability to check firearm-safekeeping practices directly, with the stated objective of preventing legally owned weapons from falling into the hands of children or other unauthorized users.
The proposal places firearm responsibility squarely on gun owners—and raises the prospect of police checking not only whether a weapon is legally owned, but also whether it is being safely kept.
ia/xf
