President Gloria Arroyo has extended the gun amnesty period until Nov. 30 after the registration process last month was adversely affected by storm Ondoy and typhoon Pepeng.
Mrs. Arroyo issued Executive Order 817-A granting a one-month extension to the Final General Firearms Amnesty that lapsed on Oct. 30.
“The drive for registration of loose firearms is providing substantial results especially among many prospective registrants in remote areas and provinces who have expressed the need for more time to register their firearms,” the President said.
She noted that the amnesty extension was also backed by a recommendation from the National Firearms Control Program executive committee.
“This [amnesty] would reduce the chance of loose firearms being used in election-related crimes which may derail the realization of a peaceful, orderly, and credible electoral exercise in 2010,” the President added.
The Armed Forces, the National Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Customs, the Philippine Ports Authority, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and other law enforcement agencies were also directed to aid the police in confiscating loose firearms.
The President also ordered the National Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee to review existing firearms laws and regulations and propose necessary amendments to institute a more effective national firearms control program.
Citing data from the National Police, Mrs. Arroyo said there were at least 1.1 million loose firearms nationwide as of May this year.
Of the total, 559,326 have expired licenses, 15,676 are with threat groups and 5,726 are with criminal elements.
The remaining half, the President said, were all unregistered and were with the general population.
The President also noted that 97 percent of all crime incidents from 2004 to 2008 that involved firearms were committed using loose firearms.
She said this initiative was expected to reduce the number of loose firearms by an average of 3 percent a month.
