PNP plans weapons upgrade

From the Philippine News Agency (Jan 5): PNP plans weapons upgrade

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has programmed the procurement of M4-type platform basic assault rifles under its Annual Procurement Plans for 2014 and 2015, Police Director Juanito B. Vaño Jr., PNP Director for Logistics said on Tuesday.

Vaño said the modern 5.56mm M4 carbine is a shorter and lighter variant of the M16A2 assault rifle, and is currently in service in the military and law enforcement services around the world.

He said the M4 is totally different from the 7.62mm M14 infantry rifle developed in the 1960s.

“The Annual Procurement Plans for the calendar years 2014 and 2015 of the PNP had programmed for the procurement of M4 type platform basic assault rifles caliber 5.56mm and not M14 rifles as reported in a recent publication by a national daily,” Vaño explained.

During a recent provincial sortie in Zamboanga City, Interior and Local Government Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento, announced plans to replace M16 rifles in the PNP inventory with the modern M4 carbine.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=843423