iskup2015 posted: " Civilian acquiring own guns allowed By J.Lo "The truth is that we will not actually arm you…but as a Filipino citizen, you have the right to own firearm based on the law…you can apply...if you can pass the requirements, you can bear firearms,"
"The truth is that we will not actually arm you…but as a Filipino citizen, you have the right to own firearm based on the law…you can apply...if you can pass the requirements, you can bear firearms," PNP chief Guillermo Eleazar stressed Philippine National Police will not be arming its civilian volunteers after all, but citizens who pass qualifications to own weapons may use them.
Speaking at the oath-taking of Provincial Coalition of Lingkod Bayan Advocacy Support Groups and Force Multipliers officers, Eleazar said President Rodrigo Duterte simply meant volunteers were allowed to use their own arms.
"If you want to be able to protect yourself, just like anybody else, you can avail that…but your role is, you are not police…you will not enforce the law…you will help us enforce the law by reporting to us."
This runs counter to the general's earlier statement on the proposal when he said that it was only a means "to encourage volunteerism and definitely not vigilantism."
"The proposal to arm them is purely for their own protection, to defend themselves and the PNP itself will not allow each and every one of them to engage in the actual fighting of criminal elements," Eleazar said.
The idea first came from President Rodrigo Duterte, who said qualified civilians should "get gun" and help government enforce laws.
"If you have this coalition, you have a list of people who are there and who can arm themselves… I will order the police…if you are qualified, get gun and help us enforce the laws," President Duterte said during the launch of the coalition in Camp Crame.
The chief executive typically makes policy decisions on the fly during public addresses, and government officials including the national police have often shown that they will rush to implement policies that the president mentions in his nightly speeches.
Opposition senators, the justice department, and human rights groups have since rallied against the proposal, noting potential for violations by "vigilante groups."
"Our peace and order is a shared responsibility...we all have roles to play, but we should also follow the law,what our president meant is as simple as that," Eleazar said.
Earlier, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said in an interview the PNP chief should have studied the proposal first before publicly backing it.
"He didn't even study it much yet, but he supported it right away…he should have processed it first before saying it was a good idea," Lacson said.
Lacson, himself a former PNP chief, said in a separate interview the move would make the police look "helpless to ask for help from civilians."
"The PNP should make it a point first to show that it is efficient, professional and competent to protect civilians on the streets from malefactors including those with unlicensed guns and irresponsible gun holders that make them a threat before it issues permits to deputize civilian 'volunteers,'" Lacson concluded.
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