STA. BARBARA—The government’s gun amnesty program has surpassed the three percent target for reducing loose firearms in the country, the Philippine National Police (PNP) chief said.

PNP Director General Jesus Verzosa was in town Tuesday for the inauguration of the 1^st Community Police Assistance Center and Police Emergency Response Center.

He said loose firearms are now estimated to be less than 900,000, down from 1.1 million.

“The three percent target reduction per month was successfully achieved,” he said.

Pangasinan reported one of the highest responses to the amnesty program in the country, according to an earlier report by Senior Supt. Percival Barba, the provincial police chief.

Verzosa pointed out that aside from the amnesty, the National Firearms Control Program also involves the accounting of firearms in possession of different local government agencies and units and security agencies.

The gun amnesty was in effect from October 1 to November 30.

KIDNAP-FOR-RANSOM

Meanwhile, Verzosa said kidnap-for-ransom (KFR) incidents have been significantly reduced, particularly in Metro Manila.

“It went down by 60 to 70 percent,” he said.

He, however, admitted that the problem has been on the rise again in western Mindanao, but it is being addressed.#

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