COUNCILOR Josephine Pareja said village officials have appealed for the return of their firearms to enable them to help fight criminality in their respective communities.

Pareja, chairperson of the committee on peace and order, said the village leaders surrendered their firearms more than two years ago since these lack the documentation.

She said that even the 100 shotguns the mayor turned over to the various villages have been confiscated by the Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) and Joint Task Force Zamboanga.

One of the guidelines set by the Civil Security Unit of the Philippine National Police is to register the firearm to a person holding plantilla position in the village, the councilor added.

She said it is difficult to acquire the license to own and possess firearm (LTOPF) permit like the village watchmen, to whom the firearms are being issued, since they don’t hold a plantilla position.

Pareja said the village officials, through her representation, met earlier this week with the top officials of the ZCPO and JTFZ to look into ways on how the firearms can be returned to them. (SunStar Zamboanga)