A ranking police official wants to see the expertise of civilian shooters in every member of the Philippine National Police (PNP) amid issues before that a number of policemen could not shoot well.
Police Maj. Gen. Valeriano T. De Leon, PNP director for Operations, said that if some private individuals are doing their best to improve their shooting capability, the same mindset should also be in the mind of every uniformed personnel of the PNP.
"Our service firearms are part of our uniform and our identity as proud members of the PNP. Let us not disappoint the Filipino people and instead, live up to their expectations that we are all proficient in using our guns," said De Leon.
This is the reason, according to De Leon, why he has been actively supporting shooting competitions, especially among PNP personnel, even before, expressing that a good shooting ability would also boost the morale of every member of the police force.
"As one of the government agencies entrusted by the Filipino people to bear firearms, every member of the PNP must meet the expectations of the people, which includes the ability to shoot well as part of the police’s responsibility to protect every Filipino," said De Leon.
"Aside from responsible gun ownership, every member of the police force should make sure that they are proficient in handling their guns because this is also for the peace of mind of the people that the PNP protects," he added.
De Leon was the guest of honor and speaker during the Commissioner Eduard Trinidad shooting competition held at the Cebu Wonderland Shooting Range in Lapu-Lapu City from June 18 to 19.