PNP wants illegal possession
of firearms made non-bailable

THE Philippine National Police yesterday said it will ask Congress to amend the law against illegal possession of firearms to make the crime non-bailable following its earlier proposal to the Commission on Elections to order a nationwide gun ban during the 2010 election period.

Comelec yesterday said it is in favor of the gun ban proposal if this would minimize election violence.

"I am in favor of it… if there would be less guns in the vicinity, there would be less violence," Comelec chairman Jose Melo said.

He said the commission en banc has yet to discuss and officially decide on the matter. He said it would be difficult to determine who are in legitimate need of firearms. "Everybody can give as many excuses as possible just to get an exemption."

In the 2007 election period from Jan. 14 through June 13, 2007, PNP records showed almost 300 were able to obtain exemptions.

Comelec data, on the other hand, showed that some 6,000 of the 17,000 applications for exemption in 2007 were approved by the poll body’s gun ban committee headed by Commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer.

Under the current practice, aside from PNP and the Armed Forces, private individuals whose security is at risk are exempted from the ban on carrying guns.

The PNP said it also plans to propose another gun amnesty program for implementation in the third quarter of 2009 in tandem with the amendment of the illegal firearms possession law.

PNP chief Director General Jesus Verzosa said they will propose the denial of bail to those who will be caught with at least two or three long firearms or five short ones.

Verzosa said a new set of guidelines is now being discussed by the PNP technical working committee for the said amnesty program which will last a month.

The PNP has sponsored eight amnesties since 1986, the last of which was a full-year one which began in November 2007. This last amnesty was a flop with only more than 15,000 of the estimated 115,000 loose firearms registered, but it earned the PNP more than P55 million in revenues.

Verzosa said the new amnesty program, being 11 months shorter, will deprive smugglers of enough time to get their illegal firearms shipped and registered.

In another development, Comelec advised the public against falling for instant voter’s ID cards being peddled by fixers posing as Comelec employees.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said authentic voter’s cards are issued for free after lawyer Frances Aquindadao reported that two voters in Pasig were made to pay P200 for their fake voter’s ID cards.

"The voter’s ID should not cost the public anything," said Comelec spokesman James Jimenez. "Bear in mind that the Comelec is the only government agency authorized to issue voter’s IDs. When an ID is found to be fake, you also run the risk of not being allowed to vote on May 10, 2010."

The Comelec asked the public to immediately report fixers offering instant voter’s IDs. Commissioner Rene Sarmiento said those responsible could be charged with falsification of public documents, a criminal offense.