Davao councilors seek gun ban exemption

DAVAO CITY — The recent killings of four local officials in different parts of the country have alarmed their peers in Mindanao where the carrying of firearms is banned because of martial law.

This is the dilemma faced by Mindanao-based members of the Philippine Councilors’ League (PCL) who say they need firearms to be able to protect themselves from assassins.

Davao City Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang, PCL national chair, on Wednesday asked Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana to exempt league members from the ban in Mindanao in the light of recent killings of local officials.

In a letter addressed to Lorenzana, Dayanghirang said that some PCL gun holders with permits to carry could not bring their weapons outside their homes because of the gun ban.

‘Alarming’

“Rampant killings of politicians are already alarming and in just a span of six months, two councilors were killed in the north,” said Dayanghirang, also the press relations officer of the Union of Local Authorities in the Philippines.

For self-defense

“Most local officials are faced with threats especially when ordinances they pass directly affect the lives of some people. If the exemption would be granted, we can be assured of our safety and be able to execute self-defense at all times,” he added.

Dayanghirang assured the defense chief that PCL members would comply with the regulations and requirements on the carrying of firearms.

In the first week of July alone, four local officials were killed in different parts of the country, including Tanauan City Mayor Antonio Halili in Batangas province; General Tinio town Mayor Ferdinand Bote in Nueva Ecija, barangay Councilor Michael Magallanes of Zamboanga City and Trece Martires Vice Mayor Alexander Lubigan in Cavite province.

A total of 15 mayors and vice mayors have been reported killed since July 2016, when President Duterte took office. —Judy Quiros