MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE) The Armed Forces of the Philippines has committed its full cooperation in an investigation on alleged irregularities in the procurement of mortar ammunitions in 2008.
Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. earlier disclosed a report from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation showing that some of the weapons delivered in April and December 2008 by an Israel ammunition dealer, Talon Security Consulting and Trade Ltd., were not in accordance with the specifications required by the military.
AFP Chief of Staff Victor Ibrado said he would not hesitate to prosecute military officers involved in the anomaly.
"The AFP welcomes the order of the secretary and we are open and are willing to cooperate with the said investigation," said Ibrado.
"The military cannot afford the loss of lives due to the failure of ammunition. It is the lives of our soldiers and the civilian populace that are at stake," he added.
"The military cannot afford the loss of lives due to the failure of ammunition. It is the lives of our soldiers and the civilian populace that are at stake here and we give importance to the quality of our war materiel especially our ammunition," Ibrado continued.
Records showed that about 30,000 rounds of 60 mm and 81 mm mortar ammunitions were delivered by the Israel-based ammunition dealer, Talon Security Consulting and Trade Ltd. on April 15 and Dec. 30, 2009 from Serbia.
The Technical Inspection and Acceptance Committee, led by Col. Arnolfo Palmea, personally scrutinized and tested the ammunition supply prior to delivery.
Ibrado earlier said the ammunitions passed quality tests before their shipment to the Philippines. But according to information received by Teodoro, inconsistencies were discovered during the second round of inspection when the ammunition supply arrived in the country.
Among the inconsistencies found were markings of an 82 mm mortar instead of the 81 mm ammo specified by the military. The fuses of some of the weapons were those for 120 mm mortars, according to Teodoro's spokesperson, Nelson Victorino.
But Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr., the AFP spokesperson, said Talon could have delivered the corresponding weapon in the intergovernmental military alliance, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato).
"The contract stated our specifications but it also said that the supplier can deliver the Nato equivalent," Brawner told reporters on Wednesday.
Teodoro's spokesperson Nelson Victorino said the investigation would determine whether the supplier was guilty or not of inserting certain units that fell short of the requirements set by the military or if there had been collusion between certain military officials and the supplier.
Victorino said the three-man investigating team would possibly summon the committee responsible for accepting the supplies last year.
Edna Benavidez, Talon's finance officer, has denied that the company supplied the Armed Forces ammunitions of poor quality.
"We manufacture ammunitions based on the specifications they require, so if they are not satisfied, they should change their specifications," Benavides told the Inquirer over the phone on Monday.
