OVER 7,500 gun permits issued to authorized individuals have been revoked by the Philippine National Police from 2023 to date following violations of the law committed by the licensees, the Journal Group learned on Tuesday.

According to PNP spokesperson Colonel Jean S. Fajardo, a total of 1,592 firearm registration issued by the PNP Firearms and Explosives Office have been revoked from January 1 to date. The gun license may be renewed within six months prior to its expiry date.

The PNP-FEO headed by Colonel Christopher T. Acop since the year started has also revoked 17 License to Own and Posses Firearms or LTOFP including those issued to fugitive Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy and one of his co-accused in a child abuse case.

Last year, the PNP-FEO revoked a total of 6,107 Firearm Registration, over 4,000 of them found to have been unrenewed for so many years which is a ground for automatic revocation.

` The records will prove that the PNP has not singled out Quiboloy in its move to revoke the gun permits issued to qualified Filipinos found to have committed violations of the law.

In 2022 alone, the PNP-FEO revoked 41 LTOFPs for various violations and seized the 201 firearms registered under the names of the 41 gun-holders.

The grounds for revocation include involvement of the owners in violations like illegal drugs, illegal gambling, commission or pendency of a crime involving firearms and ammunition, prolonged non-renewal of a firearms license, illegal or unlawful transfer of firearms, violation of the election gun ban, revoked by order of the court and misrepresentation or submission of spurious supporting documents.

The PNP leadership headed by General Rommel Francisco D. Marbil had stressed that it will not tolerate the abuse of firearms by those who are involved in nefarious activities and added that these revocations send a clear message that they will take action against those who use or possess firearms illegally.

Over the past four years, the PNP had revoked nearly 300 LTOPFs and seized more than 700 registered firearms.

Just like in the case of the other licensed gun-holders whose LTOFP were previously revoked, the case of Quiboloy was studied thoroughly by the PNP-FEO License Revocation and Restoration Board whose regulatory function is to “study, review, validate and recommend the correction, deletion, revocation, cancellation, suspension or restoration of all issued licenses, registrations and permits relative to firearms and explosives through a Resolution.”

The PNP also revoked the LTOFP and Certificate of Registration of an ex-policeman who got involved in an incident involving an assault and the unlawful display of his firearm against an unarmed cyclist near Welcome Rotonda in Quezon City on August 8, 2023.

Gen. Marbil has ordered the revocation of the LTOFP and Certificate of Registration issued to Kingdom of Jesus Christ founder Pastor Quiboloy and one of his co-accused.

Gen. Marbil also ordered the Police Regional Office 11 director in Southern Mindanao, Brigadier Gen. Aligre L. Martinez, to make sure that there will be no let-up in the hunt for Quiboloy.

Col. Fajardo said everybody must also understand that Quiboloy has “vast resources” which makes it hard for government agents to get him.

However, she said authorities are continuing to talk with Quiboloy’s lawyer and telling them to convince the former to yield and face the charges against him in court.

The official also warned that anybody who will be found helping Quiboloy escape from the law will face charges for coddling a wanted person or harboring a fugitive.

According to Col. Fajardo, the PNP is fully supporting the National Bureau of Investigation which is the lead agency in the hunt for Quiboloy and is coordinating with different intelligence communities to locate the elusive pastor.

Quiboloy is the registered owner of 19 various firearms, one of them with a license that expired last March while Canada has one licensed gun.