‘Bato’ on nixed rifles deal with US: It’s not PNP’s loss

The top cop of the Philippine National Police (PNP) shrugged off the halting of the planned sale of some 27,000 rifles from the United States, saying it would not affect the operations of the police force.

PNP chief Director General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, who earlier said he was saddened by the US State Department’s decision to stop the sale of M4 rifles, maintained that the deal the PNP lost with US is not a major loss for the Philippine government.

“Nothing is lost on the part of the Philippine government. Time lost lang ang lugi natin diyan,” Dela Rosa said in an interview over radio dzBB on Wednesday.

Dela Rosa said the PNP could look for other sources of weapons, like Germany, Israel, Belgium, China and Russia.

“Hindi natin pwedeng ipagpumilit kung ayaw nila tayong bentahan. Eh ‘di hahanap tayo ng ibang arms supplier—Germany, Israel, China, Belgium, Russia, etc. Maraming arms supplier na pwede tayong lapitan,” he said.

(We can’t force them if they don’t want to sell to us. We’ll just look for a different arms supplier—Germany, Israel, China, Belgium, Russia, etc. There are many others we can go to.)

READ: Bato saddened by scuttled arms deal of PNP with US

The US State Department reportedly stopped the supposed sale of 27,000 M4 rifles to the Philippine police after US Senator Ben Cardin opposed the move, citing the alleged human rights violations amid the government’s drug war that had claimed lives of at least 3,700 persons.

The rifles, according to Dela Rosa, were intended for PNP’s mobile forces including the elite unit Special Action Force (SAF), regional mobile group, provincial public safety companies and special weapons and tactics units for internal security and counterterrorism operations.

The PNP is still waiting for the official notice from the winning bidder, InTrade.

Dela Rosa said the PNP has not given any advance payment for the purchase of the rifles so “nothing is lost on the part of the PNP. “ CDG

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