KONTRA ang ilang senador sa panukala ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte na payagan nang mag-armas ang mga kwalipikadong indibidwal upang makatulong sa mga pulis.

Sinabi ni Senador Koko Pimentel sa halip na armasan ang mga sibilyan, ang dapat gawin ng gobyerno ay magpatupad ng mas mahigpit na gun ownership rules and laws laban sa illegal firearms.

“On the contrary, rules on gun ownership must be made stricter. The laws against unlicensed firearms must be strictly enforced,” saad ni Pimentel.
Mas makabubuti anya na sanayin pang mabuti ang mga pulis para sa kampanya laban sa kriminalidad.

“Allow reputable experienced foreign police services to visit our PNP under a Visiting Police Forces Agreement so that our PNP can learn from them about crime fighting, solving, and prevention, etc.,” diin ni Pimentel.

“Hire more policemen if necessary,” dagdag ng senador.

Kinatigan naman ni Senador Joel Villanueva ang pahayag na magdagdag ng mga pulis sa halip na armasan ang mga sibilyan.

“I share the belief of many experts that more police patrols, more officers pounding the beat, and increased police visibility will curb crimes better than guns in the hands of civilian groups. We should invest in smart policing,” diin ni Villanueva.

Aminado rin ang senador na kahit gawing national policy ang pag-aarmas sa volunteer groups, mahihirapan din ang mga awtoridad na bumuo ng protocols at definite legal bounds.

“When private individuals are allowed to bear arms for missions reserved for officers of the law, there is the challenge of defining the protocols they should follow,” diin pa ni Villanueva.

Sotto, dela Rosa pabor

Sa kabilang dako, sinabi naman ni Senate President Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III na matagal nang binibigyan ng armas ang mga civilian organization.

“Matagal nang armed ang civilians. Perhaps the president wants the PNP to ease up on the licensing of firearms, well then we need to amend the law. An Executive Order won’t do it,” diin ni Sotto.

Iginiit naman ni Senador Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa na kailangan lamang ng tamang supervision sa mga sibilyan na aarmasan.

“I see no problem as long as they are properly supervised. It would be a big help to the government to have additional manpower to maintain peace and order at no additional cost to the government,” diin ni dela Rosa. (DANG SAMSON-GARCIA)