MANILA, Philippines ? The Philippine National Police wants the gun amnesty which ends on Saturday extended by one more month.

Philippine National Police spokesman Chief Supt. Leonardo Espina said Thursday they have sent a letter to the Office of the President, coursed through the Department of Interior and Local Governments, requesting approval for the extension of the gun amnesty until Nov. 30.

Thousands continue to line daily this week at the Firearms and Explosives Division (FED) office in Camp Crame to beat the gun amnesty?s Saturday deadline.

Espina, however, stressed that the request for an extension was not due to the turnout of those availing themselves of the amnesty.

?The PNP has requested for an extension of the firearms amnesty primarily due to the fact that there is public clamor for the extension as a result of the onslaught of typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng,? Espina said.

PNP records revealed that from July 1 to September 30, a total of 119,129 firearms from the 1.1 million loose firearms have already been accounted for.

Espina said that before the deadline, police precincts will be accommodating gun owners on a 24-hour basis, while the FED will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday to handle the surge of gun owners availing of the gun amnesty.