A day after the school shooting in Zamboanga City, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla is calling on Congress to review the law that made possession of loose firearms a bailable offense, urging lawmakers to rethink what critics call the ‘Robin Padilla law’.
What the law changed
Under Republic Act 11766, illegal possession of loose guns became a bailable offense, a reversal of a decades-old policy that treated unlicensed gun possession as a non-bailable crime. Remulla says tightening it back into a non-bailable offense is among the changes he wants Congress to consider, pointing to data that about 98 percent of firearm related crimes involved loose, unregistered firearms.
The numbers behind the push
- About 2.87 million licensed gun owners in the country
- ~98% of firearm related crimes reportedly used loose guns
- RA 11766 made loose gun possession bailable; Remulla seeks to reverse that
The interior chief framed the review as a public safety question and a response to the Zamboanga incident, while making clear the discussion belongs to Congress, which owns firearms legislation.
Where the debate goes next
The issue has momentum in both chambers after the Zamboanga tragedy, and lawmakers from across the spectrum have signaled openness to reviewing the bail provisions and the law’s enforcement. Legal experts caution that any change to bail rules must survive constitutional scrutiny, so the practical outcome, whether outright repeal or a tightened amendment, remains to be written. What is no longer in dispute is that the ‘Robin Padilla law’ will be under the microscope in the weeks ahead.
