THE Philippine National Police (PNP) has suspended the use of permits to carry firearms outside residence (PTCFOR) during the start and end of the filing of the certificate of candidacy (COC) for local and national officials.
The suspension of the PTCFOR started on Sept. 30, 2021, and will last until 12 noon of Oct. 9, said PNP Chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar.
Brigadier Gen. Roque Vega, the newly-installed director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO 7), said that only uniformed police officers and other on- duty law enforcement personnel are allowed to carry firearms within that period.
Vega said any police officer that is caught carrying his firearm without his uniform will be sanctioned administratively.
He urged his personnel to follow the PNP’s directive to avoid facing legal problems later.
In a separate interview, Lt. Col. Wilbert Parilla, deputy city director for operations for the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), said that licensed gun owners will have to keep their guns inside their house for a while.
Aside from gun owners, Parilla said they are also monitoring their personnel if they are compliant with the PNP’s directive. (AYB / JKV)