MANILA, Philippines — Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde also favors fire officers bearing firearms as mentioned by President Rodrigo Duterte since they are also engaged in peace and security “at a certain level.”
“Why not? Sabi ko nga sila on a certain level ay na-e-engage din sila sa peace and security. Remember pag sila nga ang nagpapatay ng apoy, kung minsan sila pa ang dinumog ng mga taong bayan. Kaya nagagalit yung taongbayan sa kanila ay gustong unahin yung kanilang bahay para hindi masunog,” he told reporters in a chance interview on Monday.
[Why not? Like I said, they are also engaged in peace and security on a certain level. Remember that when they try to put out fire sometimes residents also crowd at them. Residents get angry at them because they want them to put out fire in their homes first.]
But Albayalde stressed that fire officers should be properly trained before they could bear guns, which he said should all be licensed and issued by the government.
He said the PNP would be willing to help train BFP personnel in using guns should they need help.
“Kung talagang kinakailangan, kung gugustuhin nila ang ating tulong, tutulungan natin sila,” he said.
[If they will need it and if they want our help, we will help in training them.]
READ: Ready, aim, fire! Duterte mulls arming firemen to help in peacekeeping
For Albayalde, this could be one of the “drastic” moves that the President said he would do to address violence in the country, following the series of murder incidents in Negros Oriental.
He likewise said arming fire officers would not instill unnecessary fear among the public since they would be working for the government anyway.
READ: Año agrees fire officers should be armed for self-defense
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