Press Release
November 22, 2007

Villar alarmed over use of 'real' toy guns to commit crimes

Senate President Manny Villar today cautioned the public against the use of almost real life toy guns to perpetrate crimes, which are set to rise with the onset of the Christmas season.

"Sadly the season of merry-making always comes with it a rise in crime statistics and the availability of these toy guns will not help make the figures go down," Villar said.

"Committing crime becomes easier with these toy guns that easily pass as real ones and are readily available almost everywhere," he added.

Villar noted that police records show that toy guns, which are exact replica of real guns, are being used by some individuals to commit crimes such as hold-ups, kidnappings, among others.

In a night market near the Senate, a .45 caliber pistol look alike can be bought at only P150 while toy armalites and shotguns can be bought from P300 to P500 each. A rechargeable armalite is available at P1,200.

The Nacionalista Party president also raised the alarm over cheap and substandard products as attractions of Christmas bargain sale that pose danger to the lives and limbs of the consumers.

"The public must exercise due diligence in inspecting the products before buying because some faulty devices are packaged to appear as compliant to government quality control standards and bear the import clearance certificate (ICC) mark," Villar said, referring to Christmas lights bought by a member of his staff from a known bookstore, which exploded after it was plugged in.

Villar said the public must be very careful as faulty and substandard products not only proliferate in the side walks, but are also available in big, expensive stores.

"I urge the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to further strengthen its drive to weed out substandard products and look into incidents of fake and tampered ICC marks. On-the-spot inspections must be done and the law against this unfair trade practice must be fully enforced," Villar said.

"The Philippine National Police must act and regulate these toy guns, which can be used to harm our people," he added. The Senate president also learned that fake electrical devices such as fluorescent lamps, wires, switches, outlets, plugs, fuses, etc. are being imported and sold in the country. Overheating and short-circuiting of these items often caused fires, he said. "The ICC marks used to serve as a guarantee of the quality and safety of products sold in the market. Tampering and illegal use is a serious violation, which could harm people and claim lives. Certainly, it must not go unpunished," he said. Villar also urged public participation in the cause of consumer protection by reporting violations of the Consumer Code to authorities. He likewise urged the DTI to intensify its information drive to make the public aware of their rights as consumers under the law.

Villar filed Proposed Senate Resolution No. 221 urging the Committees on Public Order and Illegal Drugs and Trade and Commerce to conduct an inquiry on the proliferation of almost real life toy guns, substandard products and other substantially imminent injurious goods that endanger the lives and security of people.

"There is an urgent need to tighten the implementation of relevant laws and formulate remedial measures needed to address this issue and protect our people," he said.

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