Firearm News
Philippines: License fo Carry Extended to 10 Years
18 May 2022
CNN
President Rodrigo Duterte has signed a new law extending the validity of firearm registration and licenses to carry them up to ten years.
Under Republic Act 11766, these can be renewed every five years or ten years "at the option of the licensee, which shall be reckoned from the birthdate of the said licensee, unless sooner revoked or suspended."
Failure to renew the license on or before the date of expiration will cause its revocation and of the firearm's... (GunPolicy.org)
Philippines Law Extends Validity of Firearm Licenses
17 May 2022
Philippines News Agency
President Rodrigo R. Duterte has signed a law extending the validity of the license to possess firearms and ammunition.
Republic Act (RA) No. 11766, signed by Duterte on May 6, extends the validity of the license to possess firearms and ammunition from two years to five or 10 years, amending RA 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.
"All licenses to possess a firearm, regardless of type or classification, shall be renewed every five years... (GunPolicy.org)
314 Loose Firearms Surrendered in Tawi-Tawi, Philippines
24 August 2021
SunStar (Philippines)
The number of loose firearms the government has recovered through the Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) program has increased to 314, as the implementation of the program was expanded to the province of Tawi-Tawi.
About 70 loose firearms were surrendered in two Tawi-Tawi towns, as the government launched Sunday, August 22, the SALW program in the province, said Police Colone Bonard Briton, Tawi-Tawi provincial police director.
The remaining 244 loose firearms were... (GunPolicy.org)
Philippines,United States,Russia
Philippines Will Buy Guns from Russia if US Won't Oblige [FR]
3 November 2016
TRT (Turkey)
[Translated summary: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says he'll turn to Russia if the United States refuses to sell M-16s to his country. The declaration was made after the US cancelled an order of assault rifles intended for Philippine Police, citing concern about violations of human rights.]
Le président philippin Rodrigo Duterte a déclaré, mercredi, qu'il solliciterait la Russie si les Etats-Unis refusent de vendre des armes à son pays.
La déclaration de... (GunPolicy.org)
Philippines,United States,Russia
Philippines Will Turn to Russia if the US Won't Sell Them Guns
2 November 2016
CNN
Outspoken Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte had a blunt message for the United States after reports emerged of a potentially blocked arms sale.
"They're blackmailing me that they won't sell weapons? We have lots of explosives here," Duterte said, according to CNN Philippines.
And suggested, the country would turn to Russia for its weapons.
"[I] remember what the Russian diplomat said: Come to Russia, we all have here anything you need."
The comments were in... (GunPolicy.org)
US Senator to Halt Sale of 26,000 Assault Rifles to Philippines
1 November 2016
Guardian
The US state department halted the planned sale of 26,000 assault rifles to the Philippines' national police amid concerns about human rights violations there, Senate aides told Reuters on Monday.
Aides said Senator Ben Cardin, the top Democrat on the Senate foreign relations committee, said he would oppose the transaction with the long-time ally of the US.
The relationship between the two countries has been complicated lately by President Rodrigo Duterte's angry... (GunPolicy.org)
Assault Weapons Seized from Trafficking Group in Philippines
15 October 2016
The Standard (Philippines)
A shipment of about 6,700 rounds of ammunition for high-caliber arms and assault rifles from Metro Manila to Mindanao was intercepted by police and military agents at a port in Cagayan de Oro Thursday, law enforcement officials said Friday.
Two handlers of the cargo and a member of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front were arrested after the shipment—thousands of M60 caliber bullets and four rounds for the M203 grenade launchers—was seized.
This was the second... (GunPolicy.org)
Permits for Guns Made Easier, Quicker in the Philippines
15 July 2016
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Getting a gun permit just became easier, with the Philippine National Police reducing the number of requirements needed and streamlining the application process to shorten the wait for its release.
PNP chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa said the 10 requirements for a license to own and possess firearms (LTOPF) have been reduced to just four: the neuro-psychiatric screening, drug test, police clearance and the RTC/MTC or NBI clearance.
"As we are streamlining the... (GunPolicy.org)
Philippine Gun Ban: 4,661 Arrested, 3,828 Firearms Seized
10 June 2016
CNN Philippines
The five-month long election gun ban has drawn to a close Wednesday midnight with 4,661 individuals arrested for violation.
According to the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Thursday, most of those arrested had been civilians, numbering 4,460.
However, topping the list were uniformed personnel like security guards (58), followed by government/elected officials (37) and members of the PNP (36) and the military (21).
The ban, which began on January 10, netted a... (GunPolicy.org)
New Law and Order President Bans Assault Rifles in Philippines
16 May 2016
GMA News Online
Presumptive president Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said that civilians would no longer be allowed to get licenses for high-powered guns.
"I will not allow the licensing of heavy firearms. It is just a shotgun, a .22 rifle, and a short -- any caliber would do as long as it is short, shotgun, or .22," he said.
Duterte said that those who already have licenses for heavy firearms could keep them but would have to secure permits to carry for the high-powered... (GunPolicy.org)
Renew Your Firearm Licence, Urges Gun Lobby in Philippines
15 May 2016
Manila Bulletin
Owners of guns with expired licenses have been urged to renew their licenses at the Philippine National Police (PNP) Firearms and Explosive Office (FEO) in Camp Crame which has been on-going despite the current gun ban.
The call was issued by the Association of Firearms and Ammunition Dealers of the Philippines, Inc. (AFAD) in a bid to encourage delinquent gun owners to renew their licenses.
In a statement sent to Quezon City reporters, Hector Rodriguez, AFAD... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Seize 348 Illegal Guns in Philippines Election Run-Up
4 May 2016
Sun Star Zamboanga
The Police Regional Office (PRO)-Zamboanga Peninsula has confiscated 348 illegal firearms, 21 grenades and 2,286 rounds of ammunitions in the past three months.
PRO-Zamboanga Peninsula director Miguel Antonio Jr. said they confiscated the said items because of their strict implementation of the election gun ban and "One Time Big Time" operations from January 10 until April 30, this year.
"One Time Big Time" is Philippine National Police's anti-criminality campaign... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Mexico,Honduras,Finland,Philippines,Thailand,United Kingdom
US Gun Smugglers Illegally Sent Firearms to 46 Countries
16 March 2016
Washington Post
Arms trafficking from within the United States, long thought to be relegated to gun-running for Mexican drug cartels, is far more extensive than previously thought, according to a new report by a weapons research group released Wednesday.
The report, published by the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey, examines more than 150 court cases involving arms trafficking from within the United States from 2010-2015. Spanning 46 countries and six continents, the report details... (GunPolicy.org)
Philippine Police Firearms Chief, 14 Others Sacked Over Gun Licenses
24 February 2016
Philippine Star
MANILA – The chief of the police Firearms and Explosives Office and 14 others have been relieved and are under investigation after being implicated in the issuance of License to Own and Possess Firearms (LTOPF) for P15,000 even without the required documents.
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ricardo Marquez yesterday approved the relief of FEO head Chief Supt. Elmo Francis Sarona and 14 other policemen and civilian employees linked to the... (GunPolicy.org)
6,000 Illegal Gunmakers in the Philippines
14 November 2014
Bloomberg (USA)
Hidden beneath tarpaulins in the backyard of a house in the central Philippine city of Danao, Lito puts the finishing touches on a replica .45-caliber Colt Officer's Model pistol. It will join the more than 600,000 illegal guns in circulation in a country where the homicide rate outstrips the U.S.
The money he makes from guns supplements his income as a farmer and helped Lito, 52, send two children to college. Still, he thinks often of the suffering that may come from... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Report 18,000 Gun Licences Left Untransferred in Metro Manila
21 July 2014
Journal (Manila), Opinion
Philippine National Police operatives implementing the Oplan Katok ordered by Director General Alan LM Purisima have made another startling discovery: more than 18,000 firearms' licenses have not been transferred in the names of their present owners since December 2012.
Records from the PNP Firearms and Explosives Office headed by Chief Superintendent Moro Virgilio M. Lazo showed that a total of 18,659 firearms' licenses have not been transferred from December 31,... (GunPolicy.org)
Brothers in US Court Over Assault Weapons Smuggling to Philippines
12 June 2014
New York Times
It was an unusual example of family pressure, exerted by federal prosecutors against two brothers.
The brothers — one a former New York City police officer, another a former Customs and Border Protection officer — worked with another brother to ship and sell military-grade guns to customers in the Philippines.
On Thursday, as Rex and Wilfredo Maralit pleaded guilty to weapons trafficking, they were told by prosecutors that they would be eligible for reduced... (GunPolicy.org)
Top Ranking Filipino Policemen Accused of Selling High-Powered Firearms
6 June 2014
Gulf News (Dubai)
Manila - Nineteen top ranking policemen and 10 private businessmen have been accused of facilitating the sale of 1,000 high-powered firearms stolen from the Philippine National Police (PNP) to communist rebels.
An investigation is also ongoing for the alleged sale of government-issued firearms and ammunition to a separatist Filipino-Muslim rebel group in the southern Philippines, sources told Gulf News.
Chief Supt. Raul Petrasanta, regional director of the Philippine... (GunPolicy.org)
Hundreds of Guns Missing from Official Storage in Philippines
16 May 2014
ABS-CBN News (Manila)
MANILA, Philippines - At least 63 short firearms imported by a private gun dealer and kept in the storage facilities of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Firearms and Explosives Office (FEO) at Camp Crame in Quezon City have been confirmed to be missing, an official said yesterday.
FEO chief Senior Superintendent Roberto Po said at least 10 FEO personnel were placed under investigation after the loss was discovered on Wednesday.
An employee of Juavi Gun Store, who... (GunPolicy.org)
1.5 Million Licensed Gun Owners in the Philippines
9 April 2014
Philippine Star
BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – Police were stopped yesterday from enforcing a new firearms licensing system provided under Republic Act 10591, the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act of 2013.
Issuing the temporary restraining order (TRO) in Baguio City, the Supreme Court (SC) stopped all centralized gun regulatory processes, including requirements, testing and licensing in Camp Crame, Quezon City.
SC spokesman Theodore Te said the TRO is effective... (GunPolicy.org)