By Danny O Sagun

Dagupan City (13 November) -- The Philippine National Police has already registered a total 2,899 firearms under the Last and Final Firearms Amnesty program, the police provincial director disclosed in a media forum today, Thursday.

Sr. Supt. Percival Barba said he expects more gun holders to avail of the amnesty which was extended up to November 30. The firearms amnesty program, embodied in Executive Order No. 817, was supposed to end last October 31 but many asked for an extension in view of the calamities that recently struck the country one after another.

Of the estimated 2,500 unregistered or loose firearms in Pangasinan, 43 percent or 1,091 were legalized as of November 11, he said. Licenses were renewed for 1,808 guns, or 17 percent of the listed 10,430.

He rated the ongoing registration as "very satisfactory" because of the rise in the number of gun owners availing of the extension.

Asked of the move against those who would disregard the program, Barba said the police would apply for search warrants. "Kung di na sila interesadong iregister or i-renew, i-surrender na lang nila para may magamit ang ating mga kapulisan," he told the KBP Forum at the Philippine Information Agency where he guested along with his community relations officer Supt. Policarpio Cayabyab.

He said some gun holders might have gone direct to Camp Crame to register or renew their guns.

On the so-called paltik or those with defaced serial numbers, the police director clarified that corresponding serial numbers will be issued them.

Dagupan City had the most number of registrants with 214 (157 unrenewed and 57 unregistered). San Carlos City came next with 194; Urdaneta City, 179; Malasiqui, 173; Calasiao, 166; and Lingayen, 153.