Cebu City (2 July) -- An estimated 52,000 loose firearms are circulating in Central Visayas as the Philippine National Police (PNP) strengthens its campaign against loose firearms following Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's directive to reduce the number of loose firearms by three percent every month.

Police Regional Office (PRO-7) Regional Director C/Supt. Lani-O Nerez bared there is an estimated 1.2M loose firearms nationwide with 52T of the total figure coming from Central Visayas. This report came out during the 1st-ever National Summit on Firearms Control in Manila last May, according to Nerez.

Loose firearms include those that are being carried by threat groups, criminal gangs, 'paltik' holders and those gun owners with expired license, Nerez said.

Nerez said in order to achieve the mandatory three percent-reduction of loose firearms per month by the President, they are initially working on calling the attention of gun owners whose license has already been expired.

The PRO-7 has already prepared the list of these gun owners by province with expired license and within a few days will be given notification so they could renew their license, this is said.

Nerez said it will be the responsibility of the chief of police to ensure that gun owners with expired licenses will renew their license to the Firearms and Explosives Division of PRO-7.

Those who possess illegal firearms are urged to take advantage of the final and last six-month amnesty period which started yesterday to register loose weapons, Nerez stressed.

After the amnesty period, there will be an intensified gun control nationwide and stiffer sanction against violators, issued a PNP statement.

The PNP has allotted P5M for the reward system that will lead to the confiscation of loose firearms that is part of the P25M fund released by the President for the PNP reward System. The funding for the PNP Reward System is given by Pres. Arroyo primarily for the solution of cases of violence against working journalists, militant activists, elected government officials and other government workers, candidates and election workers.

For the reward scale of loose firearms, this ranges from P50,000 to P200,000 depending on the type and quantity of loose firearms involved.

PRO-7 Deputy Director for Operations S/Supt. Louie Oppus meanwhile, said they are proposing some areas as 'gun-free zones' where police in civilian clothes and even civilians with gun permit are not allowed to carry firearms.

Areas that can be classified as gun free zones are those areas frequently visited by local and foreign, according to Oppus. Cebu and Bohol have been identified as favorite havens especially among foreign tourists.

Oppus said that in gun-free zones, there is a depository area for guns.

"We are still awaiting the recommendation of the different city, municipal and provincial police offices the areas they classify as gun-free zones," Oppus said.