Party wants no bail for suspects in gun crimes

MANILA - A political party is pushing Congress to pass amendments to existing gun control laws that will remove bail for suspects who use guns to commit crimes. Speaking to radio DZMM, Ang Kapatiran president and Gunless Society of the Philippines secretary-general Norman Cabrera said government officials should impose harsher penalties for illegal possession of firearms. He said the harsher penalties will discourage those using guns for crimes and will also discourage demand for guns. "We have to be harsh. Hindi na natin kayang matiis ang mga patayang nagaganap," he said in a radio dzMM interview. Cabrera said suspected criminals who use firearms to commit crimes should be put in jail and not granted bail during the hearing of the case. He said only law enforcers wearing uniforms should be granted permits to carry their firearms outside their homes. The gunless society advocate also lamented that the Philippine National Police does not have a dedicated unit that goes after loose firearms. He also said the PNP does not know how many ordinary Filipinos have permits to carry firearms outside residence (PTCFOR).