Hontiveros pushes tighter gun controls after Zamboanga shooting

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — Sen. Risa Hontiveros on Friday called for stricter firearms regulation and stronger rules on gun safekeeping after two deadly school shootings in less than two months raised questions over how children were able to gain access to firearms belonging to government personnel.

Speaking at a press conference here on Friday, Aug. 21, after attending a youth event, Hontiveros said Congress should review Republic Act No. 10591, or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act, particularly provisions dealing with access to and storage of firearms and ammunition.

“I, for one, really favor a stricter firearms regulation,” Hontiveros said.

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She said reducing the number of firearms in circulation—whether in the hands of government personnel or civilians, licensed or otherwise—could help reduce gun-related incidents and violence.

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READ: Remulla: No security lapse by Ateneo in Zamboanga school shooting

Her call came three days after the Aug. 18 shooting at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University Junior High School, where a Grade 8 student shot and killed a Grade 10 student before killing himself.

The shooter had access to two pistols connected to his father, a Bureau of Customs security official assigned in the Port of Zamboanga.

READ: PNP to tighten firearm safekeeping rules after Zamboanga shooting

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Hontiveros said the incident highlighted the responsibility of firearm owners to keep their weapons inaccessible to children and other unauthorized persons.

“It is very important to have the knowledge and responsibility to secure the firearms so that their children or nieces and nephews cannot obtain them,” she said.

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She noted that the Zamboanga attack followed another school shooting in Tacloban in June, which prompted a Senate inquiry into what she described as the emerging threat of nihilistic violent extremism, or NVE, among vulnerable young people.

Hontiveros said both incidents involved firearms that had originated from government personnel, making the safekeeping issue particularly troubling.

The Philippine National Police has since acknowledged the need for stronger safeguards. PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said the police organization was considering additional requirements for firearm owners, including stricter safekeeping rules and comprehensive gun-safety seminars not only for new licenses but also for renewals.

According to Hontiveros, the PNP also expressed support during a Senate hearing on Thursday for stricter regulation.

She said authorities were investigating possible negligence in the Tacloban case and were similarly examining how the firearms in the Zamboanga shooting became accessible to the student.

“There are still two that were licensed by the PNP. One was issued by the Bureau of Customs. But why and how was the child able to obtain them?” she said.

Hontiveros stressed that the problem goes beyond legally registered firearms.

“We’re only talking here about the registered, licensed and government-issued [firearms],” she said, adding that lawmakers were still awaiting more complete data from the PNP Firearms and Explosives Office on the number of firearms held by civilians and the prevalence of unlicensed weapons.

RA 10591, enacted in 2013, regulates the ownership, possession, carrying, manufacture and sale of firearms and ammunition in the Philippines. The Supreme Court has described gun ownership under the law as subject to government regulation rather than a constitutional right.

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The Zamboanga shooting has renewed calls in the Senate for changes in gun laws. Several senators have already sought tighter controls following the incident, while Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla has likewise called for stronger accountability for firearm owners whose weapons are improperly secured. /cb