AFP: Rifles could arm Army brigade

AFP spokesman Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala: No joke FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–The reported sale of 1,004 AK-47 assault rifles to communist rebels has raised concerns in the Armed Forces of the Philippines even as the Philippine National Police defended ranking police officers implicated in the deal, saying the allegations were “mere hearsay and speculations.”

“One thousand firearms is no joke. Knowing there are 1,004 firearms with the enemy now is a real concern for us because these firearms will eventually kill our soldiers,” AFP spokesman Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, who likened the supposed sale to arming an entire military brigade, told the Inquirer.

Zagala said the military had been “baffled” for sometime by its recovery of AK-47s from New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas after clashes. He said the military had recovered 48 AK-47s from the NPA since 2010.

Zagala said that while an AK-47 was not as accurate as an M-16 Armalite rifle, its design was “straightforward and low maintenance.”

“It is a long-lasting rifle,” Zagala said of the weapon that was designed by Russian Mikhail Kalashnikov. AK-47 stands for Avtomat Kalashnikova or “Kalashnikov’s Automatic” and the year it was designed, 1947.

But Zagala said the AK-47s seized from the NPA were believed to have been made in China.

Zagala said the AK-47 appeared to be the firearm of choice of the NPA. “It could be because it’s cheaper, it’s low maintenance, or because the AK-47 is a symbol of communism,” he said.

Last week, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) announced that 1,004 AK-47 rifles missing from the PNP Firearms and Explosives Division were discovered to have been sold to the NPA by a broker from 2011 to 2013 for over P52 million.

The CIDG said charges would be filed against 19 police officers and 10 civilians who were allegedly responsible for the illegal sale and licensing of the firearms.

But the PNP on Monday dismissed as “mere hearsay and speculations” the allegations against several ranking police officials, including Central Luzon police director Chief Supt. Raul Petransanta.

No sworn affidavit yet

PNP Director General Alan Purisima came to the defense of the 19 police personnel, among them four active police generals who were identified by the CIDG as being responsible for the alleged irregularity.

Purisima noted that businessman Isidro Lozada, who supposedly admitted facilitating the anomalous arms deal, had yet to submit a sworn affidavit to the CIDG.

Chief Supt. Reuben Theodore Sindac, PNP spokesman, described as “premature” the statement of CIDG chief Director Benjamin Magalong linking the police officials to the sale of 1,004 AK-47 rifles to the NPA from 2011 to 2013.

“In the absence of any hard evidence, these are mere speculations and hearsay,” Sindac quoted Purisima as saying.

“The information (the CIDG gathered) should be translated to evidence first before anyone makes any statement about this matter. Although he’s conducting the investigation, what we have are… just speculations of Magalong,” Sindac said.

Speaking in a news briefing at Camp Crame last week, Magalong disclosed that several PNP personnel, including Petrasanta, who is a former chief of the PNP Firearms and Explosives Office, could be held liable for the sale of the high-powered firearms to NPA rebels.

But the CIDG chief admitted that it was only Lozada who facilitated the importation and registration of the guns with the PNP FEO at Camp Crame and that he did not directly deal with any police official.

He, however, said the firearms could not have ended up in the hands of the communist insurgents had the PNP officials diligently examined the documents.

Lozada’s admission was supported by the military’s recovery of AK-47 rifles from NPA rebels following recent encounters in Mindanao, Magalong said.

Magalong said the CIDG was preparing to file cases of graft and violation of the anti-illegal firearms law against the 19 police officials and 10 private individuals.

But Sindac insisted that the CIDG had yet to conclude its investigation into the matter, saying that some of the PNP personnel identified by Magalong “may or may not be held liable” for Lozada’s anomalous transaction.

“The investigation is still ongoing. What we are looking into is the whole process (of firearms registration) and where the irregularities may have been committed,” he said.

Sindac, who was present at Magalong’s press conference, maintained the PNP was not trying to protect the supposed erring police officers, but we “just want to put things in proper order.”