THREE years after they were turned over to the police, the Cebu City Government has yet to get back the close to 500 firearms that were issued to city and barangay officials and department heads before.

But Department of General Services (DGS) chief Ronald Malacora said he is waiting for the approval of Mayor Tomas Osmeña to allow them to officially turn over the firearms to the police.

Malacora said these firearms were recalled in 2016 for the renewal of the licenses.

In the last quarter of 2017, Malacora said licenses of around half of the total number of the City’s firearms were already renewed. Licenses of the other half were no longer renewed because documents could no longer be traced.

However, Malacora said the City has yet to claim the firearms due to a new directive from the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Malacora said that according to the Firearms and Explosive Office of the PNP, the firearms should only be given to personnel who are directly engaged in securing the city.

“The police wants to be the ones to distribute the firearms based on the names that we will endorse to them because according to a new guideline, those who will be issued with firearms are those who are involved in security,” he told SunStar Cebu.

The City used to issue these firearms to the police, department heads and barangay officials.

In July 2016, Osmeña issued a memorandum recalling all the firearms issued by the City after the licenses expired.

Apart from being engaged in security, Malacora said the police also require those who will receive a city-owned gun to have a license to own and possess a firearm (LTOPF) before their names will be endorsed by the City.

“So the firearms are really in the custody of the police and we just had an inventory recently because they transferred the storage,” he said.

As to the plan of turning over the firearms to the PNP, Malacora said they will just have to inform the Commission on Audit about it to release the accountability of the City.

"We will just provide COA a list if ever the donation, or whatever means will will take to turn over the firearms to the police,” he said.