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Renalyn Ramirez - Philstar.com
August 27, 2026 | 4:36pm
Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) jailguard secures the area where the court hearing about the Maguindanao massacre is taking place at Camp Bagong Diwa in suburb of Manila on April 21, 2010.
AFP / Noel Celis
MANILA, Philippines — Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla urged lawmakers to allocate bigger funds for the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) as he continues to push for amendments to the country’s loose firearms law.
Remulla made the request during the agency’s presentation at the House Committee on Appropriations hearing for the 2027 budget on Thursday, August 27, where he further stressed his call to amend Republic Act No. 8294, or the Robin Padilla Law.
“If we do repeal the Robin Padilla Law and I hope that this distinguished body acts on it, I would request that you add additional funds for the BJMP to enhance their facilities,” Remulla said.
The Interior chief added that loose firearms in the country are a prevalent concern, saying that the BJMP would need “more rooms” in its jails should the suggested changes to the law be made.
“If we are at 200% capacity, baka mag-300% capacity tayo,” Remulla added.
For 2027, the DILG seeks P34.4 million in funding for the BJMP under the total P332.5 billion budget proposed by the agency.
The official shared during the budget hearing that the congestion rate in BJMP facilities went down to 279% in the first half of 2026, from the 291% recorded in 2024.
Recently, Remulla has been continuously pushing to make illegal possession of loose firearms a non-bailable offense with a 20-year jail term, claiming that 98% of gun-related crimes are committed with loose firearms.
"I have been very vocal in public about Congress repealing the Robin Padilla Law," Remulla told Congress on Thursday.
His calls came following fatal school shooting incidents in Tacloban and Zamboanga, which both involved minors gaining unauthorized access to government-issued firearms.
One of the suspects in the Tacloban school shooting used the firearm of his policewoman aunt, while the other one used a gun owned by his grandfather. The Zamboanga shooter, meanwhile, used the weapon of his father, who works for the Bureau of Customs.
The gun owners in both incidents now face complaints for reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and physical injury.
Remulla previously claimed that the current gun laws in the country do not explicitly penalize the owners of guns used in committing crimes.
He also pointed out earlier that the Robin Padilla Law made loose firearms ‘semi-legal’ because it only imposed light and bailable penalties on violators.
