PRO1’s Oplan Katok collected 488 firearms

  • Still, 38,042 FAs of expired licenses are unaccounted for with 5,405 in IN; 6,242 in IS; 5,138 in LU; and 21,257 in P’sinan.

CAMP BGEN OSCAR M FLORENDO, San Fernando City, La Union– The Police Regional Office 1 (PRO1) based at this camp has accumulated a total of 488 assorted firearms from gun owners after a stern regionwide implementation of the PNP’s “Oplan Katok,” a door-to-door visit of police to firearm holders with expired licenses from January 1 to February 27, 2019.

Police Brigadier General Romulo E. Sapitula, PRO1 Regional Director, said, of the nearly 500 FAs, 14 were voluntarily surrendered in favor of the government by the gun owners who were no longer interested to keep it and 474 were deposited to the police for safekeeping while their licenses are still on process.

P/Brig.Gen. Sapitula added that the intensified Oplan Katok is part of the preparations for the upcoming 2019 Midterm Elections to remove possible instrument of violence. “The number of said surrendered and deposited firearms is just a tip of the iceberg and there are more firearms that need to be accounted for,” he said.

The Regional Director ordered his men on the ground to conduct a round-the-clock “Oplan Katok” to all gun holders and advise them to become responsible gun owners and conduct intensified anti-criminality operations and checkpoints all over the region to negate the possible disruption of Secure and Fair Elections (SAFE).

Based on the report, it shows that surrendered firearms were two (2) in Ilocos Norte and 12 in Ilocos Sur, while deposited firearms were 31 in Ilocos Norte, 50 in Ilocos Sur, 97 in La Union and 296 in Pangasinan.

The firearms were turned-over by 41 politicians, 36 candidates, and 411 civilians.

Meanwhile, P/Brig. Gen. Sapitula led on Thursday afternoon (February 28) the ceremonial turn-over of the surrendered and deposited firearms to the Regional Civil Security Unit 1 (RCSU1) that will serve as repository unit, during a ceremony held at the PRO1 Grandstand here.

PNP PRO1 Information Officer Police Lt. Col. Mary Crystal Peralta disclosed that PRO1 is trying to account for the 38,042 firearms with expired licenses as of December 31, 2018, with a breakdown as follows:

5,405 in Ilocos Norte, 6,242 in Ilocos Sur, 5,138 in La Union and 21,257 in Pangasinan. (PRO1-PIO)