PRRD’s Speech
In President Duterte’s speech during the launch of the Global Coalition of Lingkod Bayan Advocacy Support Groups and Force Multipliers program of the PNP, he told members that "if you want to participate in the prosecution of the crime, you can have a - a gun; and if you are qualified, I will ask the police to give you the license."
He further encouraged, in the same speech, the active participation of private citizens in the prosecution of criminal elements, and even offered to lecture them on “the law on arrest, search, and seizure.” The president reiterated that volunteers must remain lawful and must only use weapons in cases of self-defense.
Split Responses from All Sides
As the speech went public, many opinions were voiced out. The CHR, in particular, raised concern on how this could result in the worsening of the state of human rights in the country. According to the CHR spokesperson, Jaqueline de Guia, this initiative may worsen human rights in the Philippines due to the civilian volunteers’ lack of proper training, qualification, and accountability. She also mentioned that this move is unconstitutional, since the government should only have one police force for the entire nation, and the addition of an armed group of civilian volunteers is a violation of this statute.
Apart from the CHR, Vice President Leni Robredo also stressed that arming civilian groups is dangerous and ineffective. She recommended that civilian groups be made part of governance instead, in order to help create a lasting difference that can lessen criminality. Apart from this, she also expressed her belief that running the country through fear is ineffective, and that civilians should be the government’s partners, not beneficiaries.
Moreover, Senators Frank Drilon and Risa Hontiveros also opposed the proposal since they also believe that it could be a possible avenue for more human rights violations. Sen. Drilon, in particular, said that this proposal gives the impression that the PNP is incapable of protecting the Filipino people. In the defense of the President, PNP Chief Eleazar addressed the concerns regarding possible violations, and stated that volunteers will be treated as regular civilians and will have to get the License to Own and Possess Firearms and the Permit to Carry Firearms Outside Residence.
Is this provision needed?
With the pandemic in context, the DOJ has stated that an armed civilian group is unnecessary and dangerous, since crime has been at an all-time low, apart from some high-profile firearm related cases.
Additionally, assurances to the public of a proper process to arm civilian volunteers may not be enough. This is because according to the global study of the University of Sydney, gun control regulations in the Philippines may be too loose. Approximately 2.6-3.4 million privately-owned firearms have been recorded in their research, and around 726,000 to 2 million of these are illegally owned. But even with this high number of illegally-owned firearms, the sentence for a violation is only at an average of 10 years. This is why despite clarifications from the Presidential spokesperson that the proposal is not yet an official policy, the possibility of having a group of armed civilians with an unconstitutional power to arrest individuals already looms over the future of our countrymen.
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