Quezon City: The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Thursday announced that the implementation of 'Oplan Katok' will persist as a standard police operation during the election period, emphasizing that it is not intended to harass individuals. PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil clarified that the initiative is designed to remind registered gun owners with expired licenses to renew them and to surrender their firearms while the registration process is ongoing. Firearms with expired licenses are categorized as loose guns, which could result in legal issues for the owners.
According to Philippines News Agency, Gen. Marbil stated, "This (Oplan Katok) is a normal PNP duty. The purpose is to account for all the firearms because the cause of violence is firearms," during a briefing with reporters at the PNP Day celebration in Camp Crame, Quezon City. This statement followed concerns raised by Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Garcia, who suggested that the campaign might be utilized to intimidate candidates and voters in the lead-up to the May elections.
Marbil responded to these concerns, asserting that the police visits are targeted only at those with unregistered firearms and not all households. "Hindi. Ang kinakatok namin yung unregistered firearms. Hindi lahat ng bahay kinakatok namin (No. We are only visiting those who have unregistered firearms. We do not visit all houses)," he explained, adding that he intends to discuss the matter further with Chairman Garcia to underscore its role as a regular police duty aimed at accounting for all firearms.
Moreover, Marbil expressed the PNP's worries about the spread of loose firearms, including those with expired licenses and those lost by their owners, which could potentially be used in violent incidents during the election period. The PNP has reported that in 2023, there are over 500,000 firearms with expired licenses across the country.
PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo indicated that a meeting with Comelec officials is scheduled for next week to address these issues. Meanwhile, the PNP is actively managing gun ban checkpoints throughout the election period, which spans from January 12 to June 11.
