The implementation of the Final General Firearms Amnesty for the period of one month, from October 1 to 30, 2009 was extended for another one month period, from November 1 to 30, 2009.
This was contained in Executive Order No. 817-A entitled, Providing for the Extension of the Final General Firearms Amnesty under Section 2 of Executive Order No. 817 dated July 7, 2009 recently promulgated by Malacañang.
The gun amnesty extension was recommended to Her Excellency President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo by the National Firearms Control Program Executive Committee (NFCP EXECOM) in view of pressing public clamor for more time to register their firearms, particularly from many prospective registrants in remote areas and provinces.
The continuous processing of gun amnesty applications was also adversely affected by recent tropical storms “Ondoy” and “Pepeng” which hit most parts of Luzon.
The extension of the gun amnesty period will synchronize with the expected passage into law of House Bill No. 6779, or the proposed Gun Control Act, which seeks to impose stiffer penalties against those caught with illegal firearms and ammunition.
Meanwhile, the Region 1 police, in a recent memorandum for the National Secretariat of “Bilang Boga,” has reported to have received and processed 1,799 applications for loose firearms registration and 2,658 applications for firearms license renewal. The figures represent PRO1’s accomplishment on the gun amnesty program for the period ending October 31, 2009. pnppro1
