By Philippine News Agency
BAGUIO CITY -- National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) head, Director Guillermo Eleazar on Saturday called on owners of firearms that either unlicensed or whose licenses have yet to be renewed to voluntarily surrender these to the police.
“For safekeeping (unlicensed firearms) and we will help them to renew their license and we urged them if they have guns has expired or unlicensed, they just have to coordinate with the nearest station and we will go to their place to recoverfor temporary safekeeping. Wala pong kaso, hindi natin sila kakasuhan o aarestuhin ng may hawak ng baril (There will be no charges filed. We will not charge or arrest them),” he told reporters at the sidelines PMA annual homecoming held at Fort Del Pilar in Baguio City.
The move is in line with the PNP's campaign against loose firearms to secure this year's midterm elections.
Eleazar also reiterated his instructions to intensify “Oplan Katok” operations “to show the people that they are "dead serious” in the campaign to rid society of illegal firearms and instruments of crime.
He also noted that the peace and order situation in the 17 cities and the lone municipality of Metro Manila remains manageable.
“We continue to talk to candidates and to their supporters to help us in our campaign against electoral violence,” he said.
The NCRPO has also increased the frequency of checkpoints in the metropolis to help deter criminals in executing their activities and ordered field commanders to observe the proper procedures in their operations.
He said the public may report discourteous and abusive police personnel to the nearest police station or at the NCRPO.
5 Metro cities tagged as election 'hotspots'
Eleazar, meanwhile, clarified that the cities of Caloocan, Malabon, Mandaluyong, Manila and Pasay, were only classified as "areas of concern", because of suspected election-related incidents in the past.
“We are making it clear that the categories of areas are yellow, orange, red and green. But green means you are not a hotspot. Green means election areas of no security concern. Yellow means election areas of concern. Orange means election areas of immediate concern. Red means election areas of grave concern. But just the same, they were all terminology at labelling but what we call areas of concern, this is the lowest category of election hotspots," the NCRPO chief said.
However, Eleazar assured that the PNP and other concerned government agencies are exerting all efforts to ensure peaceful and orderly elections in May.
The campaign period for senatorial bets and party-list groups started on February 12.
Meanwhile, the campaign period for local candidates, such as governors, mayors, vice mayors and members of the House of Representatives, begins on March 29.