Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief General Guillermo Eleazar was asked to reconsider plans to arm civilians to boost the Duterte administration’s anti-crime drive, even as Sen. Risa Hontiveros shared concerns aired by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on the need for professional training in carrying deadly firearms.
In opposing the PNP Chief’s move arming anti-crime civilians, the senator called on Eleazar to “think twice” before implementing the plan, recalling that the previous Aquino administration did not require “so much police powers to maintain a low crime rate.”
Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, a former PNP chief himself, said, “I see no problem as long as they are properly supervised. It would be a big help to the [government] to have additional manpower to maintain peace and order at no additional cost to the [government].”
Senate President Vicente Sotto III, for his part, thinks an executive order is not necessary, since the law has long allowed civilians to bear arms subject to regulations.
At Camp Crame, meanwhile, the PNP reiterated its assurance that anti-crime volunteers whose groups were formed with the support of the government would not be armed unless they acquire firearms on their own by going through the processes like ordinary civilians who wanted to possess and carry guns.
“We will not issue any firearms,” Eleazar said at a news briefing, explaining that like civilians and private individuals who are gun owners, the volunteers would have to buy their firearms and apply for necessary permits and clearances.
Over the weekend, the PNP launched the Global Coalition of Lingkod Bayan Advocacy Support Groups and Force Multipliers, whose aim was to build a strong collaborative partnership with the community in support to the government’s ongoing campaign against criminality and terrorism.
President Duterte later suggested that the government could civilian organizations who are partners of the police in its anti-criminality campaign, raising concerns from the CHR, other rights groups and even legislators.
Akbayan Chair Emeritus Etta Rosales said the proposal “is a virtual admission on the part of the PNP that it is failing to do its job.”
“The police force can’t possibly address the abuses of an armed non-state actor by creating a similarly armed non-state actor through the arming of civilians in the cities. You don’t put a stop to NPA crimes by creating your own NPA. It is insane!” she said in a news statement.