MANILA, Philippines – Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) chief Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla said the firearms licenses of International Criminal Court (ICC) suspect Senator Bato dela Rosa will be revoked as soon as possible.

“It’s [on] process. They [licenses] should be revoked in a few hours,” Remulla told Rappler on Tuesday morning, May 26.

Per their count, the DILG chief said Dela Rosa has around 117 firearms. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), meanwhile, said their count is 118.

Per rules, it’s the Philippine National Police (PNP), through its Firearms and Explosives Office, which may issue or revoke a person’s License To Own and Possess Firearm (LTOPF) or Permit To Carry Firearms Outside Of Residence (PTCFOR).

Dela Rosa, a former PNP chief, has been ordered arrested by the ICC over his crimes against humanity case that stems from killings related to the Davao Death Squad and former president Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs. He has been named a co-conspirator in the case.

He has been in hiding again since May 14 — just three days after he reappeared at the Senate after a six-month absence.

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On Thursday, acting Department of Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida reiterated that Dela Rosa’s gun licenses should have been revoked on Monday because he has a standing warrant of arrest.

“Gun ownership and having a license to gun ownership is not a right but a privilege. At any time, the state, the republic should not have its tools and its mechanisms limited… And I expect that it should be revoked as soon as possible,” Vida told reporters during a press briefing.

The NBI also sent a letter to the PNP on Monday, May 25 asking the national police to revoke Dela Rosa’s gun licenses.

Section 39 of the Republic Act No. 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act lists 10 grounds where a firearms license may be revoked. One of the bases is the commission of crime “involving the firearm, ammunition, of major parts thereof.”

The NBI, meanwhile, listed the law’s Section 4(g) as the basis of their request: “The applicant has not been convicted or is currently an accused in a pending criminal case before any court of law for a crime that is punishable with a penalty of more than two (2) years.” – Rappler.com