ANOTHER set of unregistered firearms found in mountain barangays was surrendered to the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO).

Those that were recently turned over consisted of three .22 revolvers, 11 .38 revolvers, five .357 revolvers, six .45 pistols, a 5.56 improvised pistol, two 5.56 frontiers, a 5.56 rifle, a 12GA shotgun, two 12GA improvised shotguns, a 7.62 bolt action sniper rifle and an M1 carbine.

The unregistered firearms were surrendered by residents of barangays Babag, Buot-Taop, Bonbon, Binaliw, Malubog, Toong, Budlaan, Sapangdaku, Pamutan and Pulangbato.

Most of the 34 loose firearms were yielded by residents of Tagbao.

CCPO officer-in-charge P/Col. Engelbert Soriano said the development is an offshoot of their intensified campaign on firearms control, especially in the mountain barangays.

Earlier, CCPO-City Mobile Force Company (CMFC) chief P/Lt. Col. Randy Korret said several civilians in the hinterlands keep unregistered firearms in their possession for their protection.

Soriano urged all holders of loose firearms to voluntarily surrender their guns for safekeeping.

“These will be kept safe until such time that we’ll get orders from the higher headquarters on their proper disposal,” he continued.

There are 25,000 estimated loose firearms in Cebu City, which the police are aiming to recover to keep them from being used as instruments of crime.

Police in Cebu City have confiscated and recovered a total of 438 loose firearms since the CMFC started its campaign on firearms control in August 2019.

Korret described those who had voluntarily surrendered their unregistered firearms as “law-abiding citizens.”

Korret said civilians in the hinterlands would make do with unregistered firearms since they are cheaper, especially those that were made in the northern city of Danao. (AYB, RTF)