MalacaÑang on Thursday called it a loss for the US if it stops a planned sale of around 26,000 assault rifles to the Philippine National Police (PNP). “But then again, this [sale]is a process that the US government and the US Senate will have to fix themselves,” he added. The PNP was supposed to receive 27,394 basic assault rifles amounting to P1.7 billion next year. The aborted sale was apparently an offshoot of the American government’s concerns over alleged human rights violations under the Duterte administration, particularly in its war on illegal drugs. President Rodrigo Duterte, in a speech on Wednesday in Pangasinan, indicated that he might turn to Russia and China for the weapons if the US stops its sale.

Source: Manila Times November 03, 2016 13:01 UTC