THE Police Regional Office (PRO) in Northern Mindanao will again forgo the taping of gun muzzles this holiday season.
PRO-Northern Mindanao spokesperson Mardy Hortillosa said they have yet to receive a memorandum on the sealing of their guns during the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
"How can we protect ourselves kung ingon na nga sistema?" Hortillosa said.
"During sa time ni sir Bato (former Philippine National Police chief Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa), giwala na sya. Mahinaot na unta na dili na sya mobalik pero we are strengthening our campaign among our PNP personnel na dili magpabuto sa ilang armas," he added.
(During the time of sir Bato (former Philippine National Police chief Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa), that policy was disregarded. We wish that it will not be brought back but we are strengthening our campaign to our PNP personnel to avoid unnecessary firing)
Hortillosa said a policeman in Misamis Occidental was dismissed from service after he was caught firing at a bottle while drunk.
There was also an indiscriminate firing case in Iligan City last year. But they have not identified the person who fired the gun.
"We encourage the public na bantayan nila ang ilang kapulisan na magpabuto sa ilang armas para masumbong nila og mapa imbestigahan," Hortillosa said.
(We encourage the public to report police officers who will indiscriminately fire their guns so we can conduct an investigation.)
He added that the public should also be aware of their neighbors who possess firearms, legal or illegal, to avoid incidents during the holidays.