Responsible storage of service weapons will be a renewed focus within the police force, the Philippine National Police said Friday, following two campus attacks that killed four students and wounded others in Tacloban City and Zamboanga City.
The weapons used in both incidents were reportedly traced to adults, among them a police officer and an official from the Bureau of Customs. That link prompted PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. to instruct commanders across the country to remind their personnel to keep issued firearms secured, with particular attention to officers who are off duty and keeping weapons at home.
“Firearms must never be left in places where children or unauthorized persons can gain access to them,” Nartatez said in a statement.
He stressed that carrying a weapon carries weight beyond the badge. “Here in the PNP, we will continue to remind our personnel that owning or carrying a firearm comes with a serious responsibility. One moment of negligence can result in the loss of life,” Nartatez said.
The general aligned the force with broader demands for tighter oversight of gun owners. “We support calls for stricter accountability among gun owners. Responsible storage is non-negotiable,” he added.
Reminders on firearm safety are now to be folded into routine briefings and formations, an instruction Nartatez tied to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s call for stronger public safety measures and careful handling of government-issued weapons.
The force is also set to support the Department of Education’s nationwide school safety drills scheduled for August 25, committing both personnel and resources to the exercise.
Those drills, according to Nartatez, are meant to sharpen how police, school administrators and barangay officials work together. “These drills will intensify coordination mechanisms among the police, school authorities and barangay officials, especially when there are threat situations,” he said.
