During the Senate probe into the Tacloban school shooting incident, Police Staff Sergeant Arla Pacienca revealed how his 14-year-old nephew, alias Nash, got her Glock 17 firearm.

According to Pacienca, the gunman entered her house and broke the plastic locker where the gunbox is located, containing a Glock 17 firearm.

“Nash unlawfully entered my own house,” she said

“He forcibly damaged my locker. It was locked, and my house was locked as well po,” she added

The question of safety standards for firearm storage

During the hearing, Senate Committee Chairperson for Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality Risa Hontiveros asked Pacienca, “Yung plastic locker, standard ba na pang-safe keep yun ng firearm? Plastic locker? Hindi mas matibay na locker?"

Pacienca admitted that there is indeed a standard safety vault for storing firearms. However, she believed that nobody could access her Glock 17 since the locker and her house were both locked.

“Yung standard po is yung safety vault. But it was in good faith ma’am, that I believe it was safe at that time since I'm only the one staying in my own house,” she said to the senator

According to Philippine National Police, the child entered through a window and broke the locker where the firearm is located.

“Dumaan siya sa bintana then sinira niya yung plastic aparador na pinaglagyan ng baril,” the PNP said

Hontiveros: Firearms must be kept away from children

Senator Risa Hontiveros emphasized that it remains best to adhere to safety standards so the children won’t gain access to those weapons.

“I appreciate good faith po talaga. But lalo na sa ating mga nagtatrabaho sa gobyerno, I think we need to observe the standards para nga po ma-anticipate at maiwasan yung mga worst-case scenario ah tulad po nito,” she said to Pacienca

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