By Francis Allan L. Angelo

OVER 7,000 of the more than 50,000 loose firearms in Western Visayas were accounted or recovered during the national government’s general firearms amnesty which expired last October 31. The amnesty aimed to encourage gun owners to register their firearms and reduce the number of loose guns come the 2010 elections.

Records from the Firearms Security Agencies and Guards Supervision (Fesags) office showed that 7,788 firearms with expired or no license were accounted, a measly 8% of the estimated 52,759 loose guns in the region.

Of the total firearms accounted, 2,359 are unlicensed while 5,426 have expired licenses.

PRO-6 records show that 29,440 firearms have expired licenses while 23,319 unlicensed guns are possessed by individuals and criminal groups.

There have been reports that President Gloria Arroyo extended for another month the gun amnesty program to significantly reduce loose guns in the country.

But the PRO-6 has yet to receive a memorandum order relative to the extension of the amnesty.

C/Supt. Isagani Cuevas, PRO-6 director, earlier ordered PNP units in the region to recover one loose gun a week.

Cuevas advised gun owners who want to register their firearms to prepare the needed documents in anticipation of the amnesty extension.

The Geneva-based Graduate Institute of International Studies (GIIS) reported that a total of 1,110,372 loose firearms (small arms and light weapons) are circulating in the Philippines.

The GIIS also said small arms and light weapons are responsible for over half a million deaths each year, including 300,000 in armed conflicts.

Statistics from the PNP national headquarters show that there are 1,110,372 loose firearms all over the country with the biggest concentration of unlicensed firearms estimated at 315,128 in the National Capital Region (NCR), including 263,457 un-renewed licenses.

The second highest number of loose firearms placed at 114,189 is in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) where an active rebellion is being waged by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)

Region 4A has the third highest number of loose firearms totaling 101,758, followed by Central Luzon, 78,151; Central Mindanao, 62,718; Western Visayas, 52,759; Central Visayas, 52,732; Davao provinces, 49,178; Southwestern Mindanao, 45,974; Caraga Region, 43,960; Eastern Visayas, 43,409; Northern Mindanao, 42,231; Cagayan Valley, 32,326; Bicol Region, 28,587; Ilocos Region, 26,928; Cordillera Region, 11,628; and the lowest in Region 4B (Palawan and Mindoro), 8,779.

Director General Jesus Verzosa, PNP chief, said that from 2004 to 2008, 97.7% of gun-related crimes involved loose firearms, making the Philippines 10th in gun homicide rates worldwide.