MANILA—The Philippine National Police will not hand out firearms to civilians, its chief said Tuesday, after President Rodrigo Duterte had proposed to arm the public.

Duterte earlier told a gathering of law enforcers and civilian volunteer "force multipliers" that he was "open" to arming civilian groups.

• PNP backs Duterte proposal to arm civilians; Lacson shoots down idea

Civilians are allowed to carry firearms once they have secured a license, said PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar.

"Hindi aarmahan o bibigyan ng baril itong mga sibilyan. Kagaya ng iba, they can enjoy that privilege kung sila ay kuwalipikado," he told ABS-CBN's Teleradyo.

(We will not arm or give firearms to civilians. Like others, they can enjoy that privilege if they are qualified.)

"Volunteer ka man o hindi, meron tayong proseso at yun ang ating susundin. Walang babaguhin unless babaguhin ng mga mambabatas ang provision na ito."

(Volunteer or not, there's a process and we will follow that. We won't change anything unless lawmakers change this provision.)

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) had earlier warned that "arming civilians without proper training, qualification, and clear lines of accountabilities" may negatively impact human rights in the country.

Senator Panfilo Lacson, who was PNP chief from 1999 to 2001, said that instead of arming civilians, stricter gun control laws should be implemented to curb criminality.

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