Tag: Sen Cardin

Statements

US Decision to Halt the Sale of Rifles to PNP: A Bully Attitude

The United States’ decision to halt the planned sale of 26,000 rifles to the Philippine National Police was not a scare tactic but a bully attitude towards a longtime ally – which is not fair, the Philippines being an equally sovereign state.

Prudence dictates that the US State Department should first show a conclusive investigation that affirms what Sen. Benjamin Cardin has alleged before issuing a statement banning the sale of assault rifles to our uniformed services.

Though it may disrupt the implementation of the PNP’s Capability Enhancement Program (CEP), they should now start shopping in other territories for their armament requirements.

Taiwan, for example, has stopped buying their police firearms from the US and is now procuring their standard 9mm pistols from Germany, which they say are better and more suitable to their law enforcement needs. There are other sources like Israel, Belgium, even Russia and China.

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Statements

On the US’ Reported Halting of a Planned Rifle Sale to PNP

First, I have yet to see an investigation with the conclusion that massive and state-sanctioned human rights violations were committed under the present regime’s drive against illegal drugs, so I would take US Sen. Cardin’s statement as his own opinion and nothing more.

Second, since it’s a planned sale of assault rifles by the US to the Philippines, we do not stand to lose anything except one less gun store to choose from. There are tens of other countries that manufacture better and probably cheaper assault rifles than the US.

Third, there is now more reason for our Department of National Defense to revive our self-reliance program so we can produce our own weapons and ammunition and other military hardware.

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