The Philippine National Police (PNP) has inked contracts for Israeli-made guns and defense equipment worth nearly P1.5 billion.
The deals, according to the PNP, were for security equipment which enabled savings of P108 million as they were made through government-to-government agreements.
PNP chief Debold Sinas said that the procurement deals were made possible by the Israeli defense ministry’s Foreign Defense Assistance and Defense Export Organization, Sibat, under its director retired Brig. Gen. Yair Kulas.
Sinas said the contracts were for the supply and delivery of 13,457 units of 5.56-mm basic assault rifles, 20 units of 7.62-mm light machine guns, and the intelligence component of the PNP Secure, Mobile, Artificial-Intelligence Driven, Real-time Policing Program.
According to the PNP chief, the deals were clear manifestations of the PNP’s “commitment to further equip our law enforcers with increased capability while working with world-renowed country producer of high-quality firearms and other defense equipment, Israel.”
PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Ildebrandi Usana said the PNP bids and awards committee’s (PNP-BAC) availment of the intergovernmental mode of procurement enabled the Philippines to save P107,769,090.
Usana said, “According to the PNP-BAC, the total price of the contracts is some P1.493 billion. We saved P108 million because it would have been more costly if we had procured through public bidding.”