• RICHARD T. CABALLERO JR.
Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) Director PCol. Joeresty Coronica disclosed yesterday that Bacolod City will not implement a gun ban during the celebration of the 46th MassKara Festival.
According to the police chief, Bacolod City Mayor Greg Gasataya did not signify his intent to implement that particular safety measure after the police authorities submitted their recommendation.
“As for the PNP, it is always recommended to implement a gun ban. But the mayor did not reply to our recommendation. Based on my perception, the mayor did not want to request a gun ban,” Coronica stressed.
Coronica said that the reason they recommended a gun ban is to prevent possible incidents, citing that even responsible gun holders are capable of committing crimes, especially when drunk.
“Although on gun ban, we are just regulating gun holders. However, we know that when people are drunk, even those tagged as responsible owners can commit negative incidents,” he added, citing the necessity of implementing the protocol.
“This is just to make sure of safety. These illegal firearms, despite no gun ban, will be confiscated because we have existing illegal firearms laws, but to avoid incidents, we must also regulate those who have permits to carry firearms outside their residences so that they cannot carry those during the MassKara festival,” he further said.
However, despite the recommendation of the police, the mayor has not yet responded. Coronica said that they will just abide by the decision of the local chief executive.
This was the first time there will be no implementation of a gun ban during the festival. As the police director said, “As far as I know, there is no MassKara without a gun ban.”
Meanwhile, authorities are assuring the public that despite no gun ban, the whole city will still be safe with more than 1,800 uniformed personnel to be deployed starting October 1.*
