25 loose firearms surrendered, confiscated in Cebu City

Police Colonel Ireneo Dalogdog, chief of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), checks the 25 surrendered and confiscated firearms they presented to the media on Saturday, December 31.

CEBU CITY, Philippines — A total of 25 assorted loose firearms were either surrendered or confiscated in Cebu City from Dec. 23 to Dec. 31, 2022.

Nineteen of these loose firearms were surrendered and six were confiscated from different police operations. Majority of these loose firearms were .38 caliber revolvers.

Police Colonel Ireneo Dalogdog, chief of the Cebu City Police Office, said that these loose firearms were from different Oplan Katok and police operations that their office conducted. Among the surrendered and confiscated loose firearms are .38 caliber revolver; .22 caliber revolver; .45 pistol; .357 revolver;  9 mm pistol, and improvised pugakhang and shotgun.

These loose firearms were taken after the gunfight that happened in Barangay Parian in Cebu City last Dec. 22, 2022, involving two groups of men, some were even minors.

READ: Parian gunfight: 2 shooters, 3 other suspects nabbed

Following the Parian gunfight, Dalogdog said that he immediately directed all his 11 station commanders to intensify their campaign against loose firearms and have a dialogue with fraternities and sororities existing in their respective areas of jurisdiction.

“Kung naa silay mga grupo, fraternities and sororities, magconduct sila og meeting para sa diha nga pamaagi, pwede silang makatabang nga basin aduna silay pwede masurrender nga mga firearms gikan ani nga mga grupo,” Dalogdog said.

(If they have a group, fraternities, and sororities, they should conduct meetings for that purpose, if they can help and if they can surrender firearms from their groups.)

“Naa gihapon silay nahatag o naturn over nga mga firearms. Maong mapasalamaton gyud mi sa mga grupo. At least makatabang sila para mamaintain ang kahapsay ug kalinaw diri sa syudad sa Sugbo kay wala ta kahibalo nga kini nga mga firearms, basig in the future, pwede magamit nga makahimo silag mga krimen,” he added.

(They still have firearms to surrender or turnover. That is why we are thankful to these groups. At least they can help in keeping the peace and order in Cebu City because we don’t know that these firearms, perhaps in the future, can be used to commit a crime.)

Dalogdog said that they had conducted monitoring to those registered gun owners in the city whose registration might have expired.

They encouraged them, through their Oplan Katok, to surrender these units to the police for safekeeping as possession of loose firearms was unlawful.

When they can renew their firearms license, these will be handed back to them. So far, Dalogdog said that the monitored gun owners in the city were so far cooperative in this regard.

Hours before 2023, Dalogdog reminds his men and the licensed gun owners to avoid indiscriminate firing. Like the previous years, the Philippine National Police did not implement muzzle taping of their respective guns during the holidays.

READ:

CV cops intensify campaign against loose firearms

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