600 guns unrenewed—PD Ratuita

LAOAG CITY (Jan. 31) – Newly-installed Ilocos Norte OIC police director, Sr./Supt. Gerardo Ratuita reported that at least 600 firearms of expired licenses are unrenewed in the province.

Ratuita disclosed these numbers following the launching of “Oplan Katok” which aims to reduce the number of unlicensed firearms in the country as part of its campaign to reduce crime incidents and in time for the coming mid-term election in May.

The number, he said, was based in a validation earlier conducted by Ilocos Norte PNP Provincial Office at Camp Valentin S. Juan, in this city.

The program, he added, tasks the police force to locate those possessing un-renewed firearms and advice them take the necessary actions to renew them, otherwise, their unlicensed guns will be confiscated.

With this new program, he expressed optimism that the program would yield positive result. (Theo S. Guiang)