Published June 27, 2021, 3:09 PM
The Philippine National Police (PNP) is open to the idea of arming anti-crime civilian volunteers but the firearms should only be to defend themselves and not on hunting down criminal elements that include communist rebels.
PNP Chief Gen. Guillermo Lorenzo T Eleazar explained that anti-crime civilian volunteers should not be left at the mercy of the criminal elements they were encouraged to fight and one of the ways to protect themselves is to own guns.
The idea was floated by President Duterte but was criticized by the Commission on Human Rights. The CHR pointed out that there is no need to arm civilian groups, saying that the PNP is the sole constitutionally-recognized law enforcement arm of the government and that the PNP is “more than enough.”