CLOSE to 100 loose firearms have been either turned over to or confiscated by members of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion (RMFB) 7.
According to Lt. Col. Ronan Claravall, force commander of the RMFB 7, which is based in the southern town of Sibonga, Cebu, they’ve recovered 54 .38 revolvers, 10 5.56 revolvers, 10 .22 revolvers, nine improvised shotguns, six .45 pistols, two 9mm revolvers and one improvised 5.56 and one improvised 7.62 rifle since August 2022.
He said they’ve intensified their campaign against unlicensed firearms to prevent these from being used by criminal elements.
Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 Director Brig. Gen. Roderick Augustus Alba welcomed the development during his inspection at the RMFB 7 on Friday, Nov. 25.
Alba urged the public to immediately surrender unlicensed firearms at the nearest police station in their area and not to wait for the police to serve them a warrant from the court.
Meanwhile, Alba also inspected the search, rescue and retrieval (SRR) equipment of the RMFB 7, which included a truck, two search and rescue vans that can go up the mountains, two rubber boats and one speed boat that the battalion uses when it conducts operations in Bohol.
He said the PRO 7 will provide a pickup truck that the battalion can use to patrol the mountains in the region.
He said the PRO 7 will gladly accept donations like heavy equipment and additional SRR equipment from local government units that it can use during calamities.
“Noah built the ark when it was not yet raining so we don’t want to wait for the rain to come before we build the ark. So we really appeal to the good hearts of our mayors, our governors to help the PNP (Philippine National Police) by providing us the needed logistics that the PNP cannot provide,” Alba said in a mix of Tagalog and English.
The Cebu City Government earlier announced that it would donate new vehicles to the Cebu City Police Office in 2023, including 26 motorcycles that police can use to go after criminals. (AYB)