China turns over 3,000 guns to PH

MADE IN CHINA Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua and Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Eduardo Año inspect the Chinese-made assault rifles donated by Beijing during a turnover ceremony held at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Thursday. —NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

The Chinese government on Thursday turned over 3,000 units of assault rifles as part of its continuing “military assistance gratis” to the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the Chinese weapons were supposed to go to the military, but President Duterte felt the police needed them more.

“We are lucky that the Chinese government provided the firearms,” Lorenzana said at a news conference, where stacks of rifles were on display.

The M4 rifles will be turned over to the Philippine National Police for the use of its special units and not for policemen on foot patrol carrying out the government’s war against illegal drugs, according to AFP chief of staff Gen. Eduardo Año.

The turnover ceremonies took place on Thursday at Camp Aguinaldo with Año, Lorenzana and Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua.

Aside from the assault rifles, the Chinese government also donated 3 million rounds of ammunition and 90 scopes for the sniper rifles that were part of the first batch of weapons donated by China in June and received by Mr. Duterte himself.

The donation was coursed through the defense ministries of the two governments so that it would be the Department of National Defense and the AFP that would turn over the weapons to the PNP.

“The donation is military to military so it stands to reason that we should receive it first, then to be received by the chief of staff,” Lorenzana said.

Lorenzana also said that it was the President who “directed” that the weapons be given to the PNP after its scuttled purchase of 26,000 assault rifles from the United States last year.

The US state department stopped the transaction with the PNP last year after two US senators proposed to restrict sales of firearms to the Philippines, raising concerns over human rights violations resulting from the government’s unrepentant war against illegal drugs that has claimed the lives of thousands of poor Filipinos.