Guimaras first to achieve 100% compliance under Project TALA

ILOILO CITY — The Guimaras Police Provincial Office (GPPO) has become the first police office in Western Visayas to achieve 100 percent compliance in accounting for firearms with expired registrations under Project TALA, according to Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6).

The accomplishment means that all 34 firearms in the province’s monitoring baseline have been included in its accounting records.

Based on PRO-6 records, the GPPO served notices to 29 firearm owners, while five others were initially listed as unable to be located.

Police reported that all 34 records had been accounted for, resulting in a 100 percent accomplishment rate, although the status of the five initially unlocated owners requires clarification.

Project TALA, or Tracking, Accounting and Lawful Disposition of Firearms with Expired Registration, is PRO-6’s regional operational identity for the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) nationwide Accounting and Disposition of Firearms with Expired Registration (ADFER) campaign.

The initiative seeks to locate firearm owners, verify the status of their firearms and facilitate appropriate legal action based on the circumstances of each case.

PRO-6 has set a monitoring baseline of 741 firearms under the reported phase of the campaign.

As of the latest monitoring, 361 firearms had been accounted for, while 380 remained unserved, resulting in a regional accomplishment rate of approximately 49 percent.

Brig. Gen. Randulf Tuaño, PRO-6 director, said the GPPO’s accomplishment demonstrates the importance of giving attention to every individual record rather than simply focusing on overall figures.

“For us, 100 percent means there is no firearm on our list that we leave unattended. Each record has to be checked, each owner has to be reached, and each case has to be guided toward the proper action,” he said.

Tuaño said Guimaras had demonstrated that the campaign’s objectives could be achieved through cooperation between the police and the community.

He also urged firearm owners with expired or unrenewed registrations to take the initiative and coordinate with the proper authorities.

“If your registration has already expired, don’t wait for the concern to grow. Have your records checked and ask what you need to do to bring your firearm back into proper status. The important thing is to address it through the lawful process,” Tuaño said.

PRO-6 reminded the public that firearms must be properly registered and that owners should comply with requirements for renewal, surrender, turnover or other lawful disposition when applicable.

Authorities also emphasized that firearms should not be transferred, sold or otherwise disposed of outside authorized procedures.

Under Republic Act No. 10591, or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act, as amended by Republic Act No. 11766, firearm owners must maintain valid licenses and registrations.

Failure to renew a firearm registration within the prescribed period may result in revocation, with the firearm subject to confiscation or forfeiture after due process.

Project TALA forms part of the PNP’s nationwide ADFER campaign, which seeks to trace, verify and account for 27,114 firearms with expired or unrenewed registrations across Western Visayas.

PRO-6 earlier reported that 6,640 notices had been processed under the broader campaign, equivalent to 24.49 percent of the regional inventory.

The campaign aims to establish the actual status and whereabouts of firearms with expired registrations while encouraging owners to comply with existing firearms laws and regulations.