By Pexcel John Bacon and Mark Joseph M. Sanchez
THE Interior department is seeking to let the Philippine National Police (PNP) inspect the homes of people with lawfully issued firearms, including government personnel, after two school shootings exposed gaps in gun safekeeping.
Interior Secretary Juanito Victor C. Remulla said the proposed change to the implementing rules and regulations would let police check whether firearms are stored properly and kept out of children’s reach.
“What we are proposing is [for] the PNP to be granted access to all homes of lawfully issued firearms to inspect their procedures in safekeeping,” he told congressmen at a hearing on the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) 2027 budget.
The inspections would be conducted with prior notice to firearm holders and use a checklist to determine whether prescribed safekeeping procedures are being followed, he said.
The proposal followed the June shooting at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City and the Aug. 18 shooting at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University Junior High School, where students allegedly used firearms belonging to adults.
“In both cases of school shootings, the safekeeping of the guns were not in standard procedure,” Mr. Remulla said.
In Tacloban, he said, the firearm was left on a table by the aunt of the 14-year-old student who used it. In Zamboanga, the firearm was left inside a car by the father of the 14-year-old student who allegedly carried out the shooting.
Mr. Remulla said more than 4 million handguns are legally owned in the Philippines, including firearms issued to uniformed personnel and those held by private citizens.
The police should ensure that firearms are stored safely and kept out of the reach of children, he said.
Mr. Remulla acknowledged that home inspections could raise constitutional and privacy concerns but said firearm ownership is a privilege granted by law.
He declined to identify the specific law or provision that would need to be amended when asked by reporters.
Republic Act No. 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act requires licensed firearm owners to keep their guns in secure storage and comply with prescribed safekeeping measures.
Mr. Remulla also called for the repeal of the so-called “Robin Padilla law,” saying DILG statistics showed that 98% of violent crimes involve loose rather than legally owned firearms.
Repealing the law would require additional funding for the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) to expand its facilities because more people could be detained for loose firearms offenses, he said.
“If we do repeal the Robin Padilla law, and I hope that this distinguished body acts on it, I would request that you add additional funds for the BJMP to enhance their facilities,” Mr. Remulla said.
He warned that a jail designed for 200 people could reach 300% capacity if the law were repealed.
Mr. Remulla also called for heavier penalties against firearm owners whose guns are used for illegal purposes. The owners of the firearms used in the two school shootings face charges of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide, he said.
“There should be a greater penalty for the owners of the guns that are used for illegal purposes,” he said.
‘PROPER EVALUATION’Meanwhile, the Department of Justice said prosecutors are evaluating a complaint against the registered owner of a firearm allegedly used in the Aug. 18 shooting at Ateneo de Zamboanga University Junior High School.
Justice Undersecretary Ian Norman E. Dato confirmed that the Zamboanga City Prosecutor’s Office received the complaint filed by the Philippine National Police.
“This will undergo proper evaluation,” Mr. Dato told a news briefing on Thursday. “As a matter of course, we expect that subpoenas will be issued to the respondents so that issues can be properly ventilated and prosecutors will have the chance to evaluate the complaint.”
The complaint was filed after the PNP completed its investigation into the shooting, in which a 14-year-old Grade 8 student allegedly killed another student and injured a third before taking his own life.
Mr. Dato said the complaint was against the father of the student who carried out the shooting.
Customs Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno had identified the father as the district commander of the agency’s Enforcement and Security Services at the Port of Zamboanga. Mr. Nepomuceno said the student used his father’s firearm. The official was later relieved from his post.
The PNP on Wednesday said it had filed complaints for reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and physical injury against the registered firearm owner and a school security personnel.
The police investigation found that the student was brought to the campus in his father’s private vehicle, allowing him to bypass the school’s usual security checks. He later took his father’s gun bag, which had been left inside the vehicle, and entered the junior high school building through a ramp for people with disabilities.
The PNP said the circumstances pointed to gaps in firearm safekeeping and accountability that allowed the student to gain unauthorized access to the weapons. It also cited deficiencies in the school’s entry and exit screening.
Mr. Dato said the National Prosecution Service would act based on the evidence and applicable law.
The Zamboanga shooting was the second school shooting involving students in about two months. The June 22 shooting at San Jose National High School in Tacloban left three students dead and at least 20 others injured.
Two minors were accused of opening fire inside classrooms, with one firearm traced to a government-issued weapon belonging to a police officer.
Justice Secretary Fredderick A. Vida has also warned about online influences that could expose young people to violent content and ideas.