Director Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Philippine National Police chief, gives a stern warning to those who would fire their guns during the New Year’s celebrations. (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)
Bato: No mercy for those who indiscriminately fire guns in New Year
Frustrated gun owners, who possess unlicensed guns, are most likely to fire their weapons during celebrations or the holidays.
Supt. Arnel Banzon, Regional Operations and Plans Division (R3) deputy chief, gave this description of persons who would most likely fire their guns during these times amid the warning of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa of showing no mercy to those who would be caught indiscriminately firing their weapons during the New Year celebrations, especially if they were police officers.
“These are the people who cannot go to firing ranges maybe because their guns are not legit, and they are just making the New Year celebration as a reason to fire their guns. That is wrong in all aspects,” Banzon said.
He said that legitimate gun owners could always go to shooting ranges should they want to fire their guns, and the uniformed men would always have their chance to fire their firearms during routine firing practice.
He also assured that police officers were well aware of consequences of defying the direct orders of PNP Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, not to fire their guns in the revelry of the New Year.
“With the stakes at hand if they fire their guns, I don’t think the uniformed men are crazy enough to fire indiscriminately,” Banzon said.
As a tradition in the previous years, service firearms of all the police officers are taped so those who will fire their weapons during New Year’s celebrations will be recognized.
This year, however, PNP Chief Dela Rosa ordered that the practice be stopped because he trusted the police officers.
PRO-7 chief
Although General Dela Rosa believes that there will be no police who will fire their gun because they are mature, Chief Supt. Noli Taliño, Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) chief, earlier said that they would not have any mercy on those who would violate it (Bato’s order).
“Kung mangyari yun lahat ng kaso ibabato natin sa kanila. Until such time they will be dismissed from the service (If it will happen, then we will file all the cases needed to be filed against them until they will be dismissed from service), Taliño said.
Senior Supt. Eric Noble, Cebu Provincial Police Office chief, said he was warning not just the police but those who have guns to refrain from firing their weapons during the holiday season.
Hot pursuit doctrine
Meanwhile, Dela Rosa said he would show no mercy to people indiscriminately firing guns, including policemen, during the New Year revelry.
Citing the Doctrine of Hot Pursuit, Dela Rosa authorized patrolling policemen to go inside houses should they hear gunshots and arrest those indiscriminately firing guns. Should homeowners bar them from entering, Dela Rosa ordered the police to “break in or jump over.”/With Inquirer.net report