FIDEL D.

BANZON ORMOC UPSIDE DOWN

Loose firearms
The Philippines Free Press issue of July 25, 2009, page 4, reported that Geneva-based
Graduate Institute of International Studies (GIIS) has estimated that there are 640 million loose
firearms in the world and 1.1 million of them are in the Philippines.
The recent amnesty given to holders of loose firearms ended this November 30, but it is
short of the estimated number reported by GIIS. Only those responsible citizens applied for the
licensing of their firearms while the criminals keep theirs. The recent campaign to license the
guns did not include those homemade ones known as “paltik”. In spite of having a legitimate
firearm manufacturer in Danao City still the illegitimate gun makers pursue their trade.
Why? The “paltik” makers earn more money than working in the factory. It is money that
makes the difference. A salaried employee in the factory receives less money than those working
in unlicensed factories. They are paid by “pakyaw”, for a piece by gun runners; hence earning
more. No doubt the factory could not accommodate all the illegitimate gun makers in Danao City
and neighboring municipalities.
Also, to be considered, the gun makers are not merely confined in Danao City. In Luzon
like Cavite province has gun makers. The gun making trade is related to machine shops,
nowadays, unlike in the past that metal pile was the primitive tool used.
Contributing to the proliferation of “paltik” is the easy access in buying bullets from gun
stores. You can just walk in and buy the caliber of your bullet. No question asked. No
identification to present. No gun license needed. It is as easy as buying peanuts from the vendors
plying their trade.
You know, when I bought the .22 caliber bullet for my revolver? It cost only P3.75.
When I commented that the life of a person cost only this much, Bing Suarez replied: “Very
cheap!” Yes life is cheap for a bullet to die, but the Maguindanao massacre where our colleagues
in the media died in line of duty, it was too costly. The barbarians sprayed the dead with high
caliber bullets.
It reminded me of my father Candido Almendras Banzon, who died in a gun battle with
carabao rustlers in Barrio Bayog, Los Baños, Laguna on August 19, 1945. He was the Sergeant
of Police. I was nine years old. He was able to kill one of the bandits and another wounded.
Unfortunately, his carbine rifle had no extra bullet to last a fire fight. The more than 30 bandits
were able to come near him and felled him with a butt of the rifle. His left face smashed beyond
recognition and his body sprayed with 45 slugs of caliber .45 Thompson submachine gun. It’s a
cruel and coward act like the fate of our colleagues who died doing their duty as members of the
Fourth Estate.
I can feel the heartaches and the trauma experienced by the family of our colleagues, but
the only consolation of their deaths they died with dignity. Their sacrifices and devotion to duty
in spite of the danger they know lurking ahead of them is not in futility. The journalism students
in the different part of the world will remember that in our present era there are those
professional journalists who could sacrifice their lives for them to follow.
It may not be easy for those families who have lost their loved ones to accept the truth
that in life there is death in the present system of things. One thing everyone must remember that
those who died without cause to fear of being left by God during the resurrection are much better
than us. Once the Supreme Creator destroys those who are ruining the earth and its inhabitants
those who are still alive and destroyed by the myriads of angels will no longer be resurrected.
Resurrection is very clear in the Holy Bible and the vanishing on earth of ungodly
persons could be read in the scriptures. So, those with unlicensed firearms should be on guard
because after the amnesty the full force of the law will surely follow. That is the reason even
policeman still in the service caused their guns licensed. No one is above the law. (Email
g_duna@yahoo.com)