The Philippine National Police (PNP) vowed to put a stop in the issuance of mission orders to civilians even as it opened on Saturday all its police stations across the country for the processing of applications for gun owners with expired licenses as part of its campaign against loose firearms.

Director General Jesus Verzosa, PNP chief, said he has already ordered his senior officers to sit with officials from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and other law enforcement agencies to craft policies that would prevent the unlawful practice of authorizing favored civilians to possess and carry firearms by virtue of Memorandum Receipts (MR) and Mission Orders (MO).

An MR is an official document issued by a government agency for government property and equipment, including government-owned firearms that are issued to organic personnel of the agency. An MO is an official document that authorizes agency personnel to carry firearms while in performance of official duty.

“We will closely coordinate with the military and other law enforcement agencies to stop this unlawful practice,” said Verzosa.

“The PNP noted that these official documents are being arbitrarily issued to some individuals to make it appear that the firearm possessed by the bearer of the MR is government- owned and that the holder is a bonafide member of the agency on official mission,” he added.

What is alarming, Verzosa said, is that they also received reports that both MR and MO are now being faked for the benefit of those with loose firearms.

Once policies are ironed out, Verzosa said they will start hunting down bearers of unauthorized holders of firearms covered by spurious MR and MO for misrepresentation and usurpation of authority.

“These charges are in addition to the criminal liability for illegal possession of firearms,” said Verzosa.