'Friendly Country' Sending 5,000 Rifles, Duterte Says

Duterte thanks ‘good friends’ for donating weapons for Philippine Islamist fight

Manila, Philippines, MINA — The Philippines is set to acquire 5,000 firearms from an unnamed “friendly” country to strengthen its capabilities against security threats, The Star reported, citing President Rodrigo Duterte Monday.

“There are our neighbors who are good and despite the boycott by America of our needs, we are getting some firearms somewhere. I am not at liberty to divulge it, but in the next few days, we will have about 5,000 more shipment coming from a friendly country,” Duterte said during the inauguration of an Armscor shooting range in Davao City.

“We will survive and we will win these pocket wars. And we will be a great nation someday,” he added.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines has historically used weapons from US suppliers for interoperability with American forces, with which it holds annual military exercises but US State Department blocked the sale of some 26,000 rifles to the Philippine National Police in 2016 after an American lawmaker raised concerns about Duterte’s human rights record.

Russia and China have been providing defense equipment to the Philippines since Duterte assumed office.

Russia has turned over 5,000 units of AK-74M Kalashnikov assault rifles, 20 Ural-4320 multi-purpose vehicles, one million units 1943-type cartridges with steel core bullets and 5,000 units of steel helmets to the Philippines last year.

China, meanwhile, has provided P590 million worth of military equipment, including about 3,000 rifles to the Philippines. Most of the rifles have been distributed to PNP units.

Duterte to arm civilians if needed

In the same event, Duterte said he is ready to arm civilians, reservists and Reserved Officers Training Corps cadets if the terrorist threat intensifies.

“We have lots of ammunition and we can always import if the Philippines is plagued with disorder, only if there is a very serious threat to our Republic,” the president said.

“In the meantime, you can buy the .22 and the shotgun. It’s a good defense weapon that can be used at home. (If) worse comes to worst, the first thing that I will do is to arm the ROTC and the reservist, and after that the civilian,” he added.

But Duterte clarified that he would not yet arm the civilians because the communist rebels would try to steal the firearms.

“With the many years of killings, they (communists) were able to generate ambush, raids. But it can happen because this is a democracy. We cannot be searching everybody and stopping them to ask them. It’s not allowed. That’s the act of a fascist,” Duterte, whom activist groups have branded a dictator and fascist, said.

Duterte said he is also looking for money to strengthen the Philippines’ security forces.

“We are prepared and I’m sure we are capable of doing it. I have ordered looking for the money but I have ordered the police to create another five to seven battalions of our SAF (Special Action Force) and the Army to take in about ten thousand more,” he said. T/RS5/RS1)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)