"It would be a waste to just burn the guns. [Defence Secretary Hermogenes] Ebdane has issued a directive for the turnover" Director Wilfredo Garcia, chief of the PNP's Directorate for Operations chief, said yesterday.

Garcia said the seized firearms would greatly help the PNP's security and counterinsurgency operations, especially with 20 per cent of the entire force lacking weapons.

The military announced over the weekend that it will be turning over thousands of firearms seized from the New People's Army (NPA), armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, the local terror group Abu Sayyaf and other armed groups. No date for the turnover has been set yet.

Last week, the Armed Forces of the Philippines destroyed over a thousand firearms of the 53,805 weapons surrendered to the military or which they have recovered or confiscated.

Garcia said there was nothing wrong with the PNP using guns once used by their enemies.

He pointed out that some of the weapons could have been seized by the NPA from the PNP during rebel raids on isolated police stations our outposts in the provinces.

 "What's important now is we have something to use…but of course we would still review existing policies about this," said Garcia, noting that ideally, every policeman must have one short and one long firearm.

He added more firearms would also be needed as the police force increases by around 3,000 each year.

Two police regional directors said they also saw nothing wrong with police using firearms seized from the NPA or Abu Sayyaf.

Chief Superintendent Ismael Rafanan, director of the NPA-infested Central Luzon region, said it "does not matter" where the guns come from.

 "It doesn't really matter if it came from the NPA. If there is something available and it is given to us, we will accept," he said.

Central Mindanao police director, Chief Superintendent Felizardo Serapio, said additional firearms would help police ensure tighter security in his region, which has been a target of bomb attacks.