Lawyer Israelito Torreon on Thursday questioned the decision of the Philippine National Police to revoke the firearms licenses of Senator Ronald dela Rosa, arguing that the legal basis cited by authorities was flawed.
Torreon said the PNP Firearms and Explosives Office relied on Section 4(g) of Republic Act No. 10591, or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act, in revoking dela Rosa’s 118 firearm licenses.
“The PNP-FEO cited Section 4(g) of R.A. 10591 as the ground for cancelling Senator Dela Rosa’s 118 firearms licenses,” Torreon said.
“There is one problem. Section 4(g) is not a revocation ground,” he added.
According to Torreon, Section 4 of the law pertains only to the standards and qualifications for obtaining a firearms license, while Section 39 separately outlines the legal grounds for revocation.
He argued that pending criminal cases are not listed among the revocation grounds under Section 39, except in cases involving conviction or a court order.
Torreon also challenged the government’s alleged reliance on the warrant issued by the International Criminal Courtagainst dela Rosa.
“The ICC was not established by Philippine law. Its orders cannot be reviewed by Philippine courts. Its judges are not appointed under our Constitution. It is not a ‘court of law’ under R.A. 10591,” he said.
The lawyer also rejected comparisons to the firearms cancellation involving Apollo Quiboloy, noting that Quiboloy faced charges before Philippine courts, unlike dela Rosa, whose case is before an international tribunal.
“That is not law enforcement. That is a constitutional crisis executed in stages,” Torreon said.