By Aaron Recuenco
The Philippine National Police (PNP) advised on Thursday all security agencies to surrender their high-powered firearms in compliance with President Duterte’s order for security guards not to be armed with long firearms.
Philippine National Police (MANILA BULLETIN)
Otherwise, PNP Civil Security Group Director Brig. Gen. Roberto Fajardo warned that they would conduct operations on all security agencies with high-powered firearms to compel them to surrender their high-powered guns.
“It was President Duterte himself who ordered that security agencies should not have long firearms. These security agencies should not possess long firearms because security guards are not trained to handle that,” said Fajardo.
Fajardo issued the warning after suspected communist rebels disarm the security guards of a coal power plant in Misamis Oriental and took away at least four AK-47 rifles.
Security guards are usually armed with revolver or a shotgun but since some areas in Mindanao are prone to attack of rebel groups, security agencies opted to match the firepower of groups that threaten them.
But in the case of Misamis Oriental attack, the rebels suddenly made possession of the high-powered guns.
What pissed off PNP officials was that the communist rebels who staged the attack did not even fire a single shot in disarming the security guards.
“We will issue cease to operate at hindi namin ire-renew ‘yung kanilang license to operate,” said Fajardo.
“So we ask them to just surrender those high-powered firearms,” he added.