While police forces nationwide grapple with tracking roughly 500,000 firearms with expired licenses, the police force in Guimaras province has successfully accounted for all firearms under its baseline.
Police Brig. Gen. Randulf Tuaño, director of the Police Regional Office 6, stated that the achievement sets a strong benchmark for Western Visayas in fulfilling the Philippine National Police leadership’s mandate to account for unregistered and expired firearms.
“The Guimaras accomplishment shows the value of giving attention to every individual record rather than simply looking at overall numbers,” said Tuaño.
“Each record has to be checked, each owner has to be reached, and each case has to be guided toward the proper action. Guimaras has shown that this can be done when the police and the community work on the same objective,” he added.
Data from the Guimaras Provincial Police Office reveals zero remaining unserved notices out of its 34-firearm baseline. This milestone falls under Project TALA (Tracking, Accounting, and LAwful Disposition of Firearms with Expired Registration), an initiative designed to locate owners, check firearm statuses, and ensure proper legal handling for every case.
Across the wider Western Visayas region, police have established a baseline of 741 firearms. Monitoring data indicates that 361 have been accounted for while 380 remain unserved, bringing the regional accomplishment rate to 49%.
Unlicensed firearms are legally classified as loose guns, which carry severe penalties including prison terms. To prevent legal complications for gun owners, Tuaño urged individuals with expired registrations to proactively coordinate with local authorities.
“If your registration has already expired, don’t wait for the concern to grow. Have your records checked and ask what you need to do to bring your firearm back into proper status. The important thing is to address it through the lawful process,” Tuaño advised.
He reminded citizens that firearms must remain properly registered and that owners must follow strict protocols for renewal, surrender, or lawful turnover rather than unauthorized transfers or sales.
Project TALA is further supported by RTT 3389, a community-focused strategy engaging all 3,389 barangays in Western Visayas. The initiative encourages every barangay to work alongside law enforcement to account for and facilitate the lawful surrender or turnover of at least one loose firearm within their jurisdiction.