RESBAK? | US stops sale of 26,000 rifles to PNP but Ping Lacson says PH loses 'one less gun store'

From InterAksyon (Nov 1): RESBAK? | US stops sale of 26,000 rifles to PNP but Ping Lacson says PH loses 'one less gun store'

The US State Department halted the planned sale of some 26,000 assault rifles to the Philippine National Police after Senator Ben Cardin said he would oppose it, Senate aides told Reuters on Monday.

But Senator Panfilo Lacson, a former PNP chief, in a note posted to the Facebook account "Ping Lacson 2016," pooh-poohed the aborted sale, said "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."

Nevertheless, he said the development gave "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."

Aides said Cardin, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was reluctant for the United States to provide the weapons given concerns about human rights violations in the Philippines.

The relationship between the United States and the Philippines, a long-time ally, has been complicated lately by President Rodrigo Duterte's angry reaction to criticism from Washington of his violent battle to rid the country of illegal drugs.

More than 2,300 people have been killed in police operations or by suspected vigilantes in connection with the anti-narcotics campaign since Duterte took office on June 30.

But Lacson pointed out: "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."

The US State Department informs Congress when international weapons sales are in the works. Aides said Foreign Relations committee staff informed State that Cardin would oppose the deal during the department's pre-notification process for the sale of 26,000-27,000 assault rifles, stopping the deal.

State Department officials did not comment.

Earlier this month, Duterte told US President Barack Obama to "go to hell" and said the United States had refused to sell some weapons to his country, but he did not care because Russia and China were willing suppliers.

According to some US officials, Washington has been doing its best to ignore Duterte's rhetoric and not provide him with a pretext for more outbursts.

An open break with Manila could create problems for the United States in a region where China's influence has grown.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/133864/resbak--us-stops-sale-of-26000-rifles-to-pnp-but-ping-lacson-says-ph-loses-one-less-gun-store