By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan | Philippine News Agency
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said on Wednesday that the country needs a more comprehensive law that would hold negligent firearm owners criminally liable when their registered weapons are used in crimes.
Remulla made the remark in a press briefing in Camp Crame following Tuesday’s fatal shooting at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University (AdZU) Junior High School campus in Zamboanga City.
He called on lawmakers to amend Republic Act 11766, or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act, which is referred to as the “Robin Padilla Law” over claims that the actor-turned-senator was the one who crafted and passed it into law.
“The Robin Padilla Law, which extinguished culpability and made it a bailable offense, has led to a surge in crimes precisely because loose firearms is a bailable offense,” Sec. Remulla told reporters.
The gun attack inside the Ateneo de Zamboanga University was perpetrated by a Grade 8 student who also took his own life.
Possession of loose firearms was a non-bailable offense before, but an amendment made the penalties lighter if the loose guns were not used in committing crimes.
Sec. Remulla noted that the gun used by the child in conflict with the law (CICL) is government-issued, as it is owned by the perpetrator’s father, who works at the Bureau of Customs.
The reported victims included a Grade 10 student who died and two other students who were injured, while several students experienced panic attacks, anxiety, and minor injuries during the incident.
“Once again, it involves students. Once again, it involves firearms. Once again, we are confronted with the question of what more we can do as a country,” Remulla said.
He underscored the need to reinforce gun-safety training and ensure that responsible firearm ownership does not end with obtaining a license. He said the government’s responsibility is ultimately to protect the public and preserve the social contract that keeps communities safe.
Remulla said there must be stricter accountability measures for owners of firearms that were made accessible to minors and used in committing crimes.
In the case of gun attacks involving children, he asked, “Isn’t the owner of the gun equally responsible?”
But more than the accountability of registered gun owners, Sec. Remulla also cited the effects of the gun law with lenient accountability rules.
The interior secretary also said he believes that gun owners who do not properly maintain their firearms should be punished.
Meanwhile, he said that online gaming platform Roblox may have influenced the student in the shooting incident.
Sec Remulla explained that playing on the platform is not dangerous, but there are group chats on it that allegedly encourage violence among young people.
He also called on Congress to enact laws to prevent first-person shooting games that affect young individuals.
