DAVAO CITY Representative Karlo Alexei Nograles proposed the creation of an inter-agency law enforcement body similar to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) of the United States.
Nograles said he is pushing for an ATF-type body for government to be more effective in implementing the newly-signed Republic Act (RA) No. 10591 (Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act) and RA 10351 (Sin Tax Reform Law).
"These two historic laws might need a specially focused team of law enforcers just like the ATF in the US. The organization and set-up can be made similar with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Authority but the focus would be running after cigarette and alcohol smugglers and other violations to RA 10351 and conduct operations against loose firearms and gun runners," Nograles said.
Nograles noted that one of the issues raised by anti-sin tax law advocates was the proliferation of smuggled cigarettes and alcoholic beverages. He said while the Bureau of Customs (BOC) is doing exceptionally well in the campaign against smuggling, the proposed law enforcement body can provide operational support outside of the bureau's jurisdiction to stop the sale of smuggled goods that are subject to six tax.
Nograles added that there is also a need to have a special group whose sole focus is after gunrunning syndicates. It could also crack down on loose firearms and private armed groups (PAGs), he said.
Nograles acknowledged that the Philippine National Police (PNP) already has a Firearms and Explosives Division (FED) tasked to regulate the sale of firearms and granting gun permits. But he pointed out that FED has very limited law enforcement capabilities since its function is administrative in nature.
"FED lacks the manpower and there is a potential conflict of interest because of their frequent dealings with gun shops and other groups that are in the firearms business, albeit legally," Nograles said.
He also noticed that while the PNP has achieved a good degree of success in its campaign against gun ban violators during the election period, there is no sign that it is making any dent in the fight against loose firearms and motorcycle-riding criminals.
"This trend only shows that gun ban or not, armed criminals will not be deterred by any law or by any checkpoint to commit crime. What we need is a law enforcement agency that would put an end to the continuing proliferation of unlicensed firearms which lawless elements use to carry out criminal activities," Nograles said.
Nograles said that the proposed inter-agency law enforcement task force can be manned by specially-trained tactical personnel from the PNP's Special Action Force with the operational supervision of board composed of representatives from the Department of Justice, the Department of Interior and Local Government, the PNP-FED, BOC and the Bureau of Internal Revenue.