MANILA, Philippines—Heads will roll at the Armed Forces of the Philippines if some military officers were found to have been involved in the alleged anomalous procurement of over P260-million worth of mortar ammunition in 2008, according to AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Victor Ibrado.

Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro has ordered a full-blown inquiry into the supposed purchase of defective mortar weapons following a report from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation showing that some of the ammunition delivered were not in accordance with the specifications required by the military.

Ibrado on Wednesday 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,” he added.

Soldiers’ lives at stake

“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 ammunition were delivered by 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 ammunition had passed quality tests before their shipment to the Philippines. But supposed 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 AFP spokesperson Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr. 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 Wednesday.

Short of requirements?

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 had supplied ammunition of poor quality to the Armed Forces.

“We manufacture ammunition 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.