Phil. Army official suggests Pampanga gov’t to buy loose firearms

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 1): Phil. Army official suggests Pampanga gov’t to buy loose firearms

An Army general has recommended to the provincial government to buy loose firearms as a way to prevent undesirable groups from using them in any unlawful activities.

Brig. Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr., commander of the Philippine Army’s 7th Infantry (“Kaugnay”) Division, made this recommendation during the peace and order council meeting held on Thursday in Lubao town. "One way to get rid of loose firearms in the province is for the provincial government to buy them. That’s my suggestion to Governor (Lilia) Pineda and the provincial government," Catapang said.

As of January 14, some 7,561 unlicensed firearms in the province had been accounted for by the Regional Special Operations Task group (RSOTG) of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

He, however, warned , individuals who willfully refuse to surrender their unlicensed guns. He said they would not hesitate to use the full force of the law against those individuals who possessed loose firearms. We have been stepping-up our campaign against the proliferation of unlicensed firearms as part of the government’s continuing efforts to ensure the holding of safe and fair elections, he added. Pampanga is one of the 15 “hot spots” in the forthcoming mid-term elections.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=493333