Why not local?
Two US senators have filed a bill seeking to restrict the export of firearms from the US to the Philippines, because of the alarming number of deaths under the government crackdown on illegal drugs. One of the senators even opposed the sale of 26,000 assault rifles to the Philippine National Police last year for the same reason. These are just some of the effects of the bloody war on drugs, which President Duterte and the PNP under the leadership of Gen. Dela Rosa have no plans to stop. So I can expect this threat to curtail the American firearms export to the country by the two US senators will be belittled by the current administration, which as we all know has very little love for the US nowadays. The US is the primary supplier of arms to the country.
Gen. Dela Rosa has already stated that the PNP will just have to look elsewhere to purchase "badly needed firepower" for its police force, should the US senators push through with the bill. With Duterte cozying up to China and Russia – both with prolific firearms industries – we can expect them to offer what they have. There may be an influx of both Chinese and Russian weapons in the PNP and AFP inventories. But both policemen and soldiers will have to train in the use of these weapons, as their designs are completely different from that of American firearms, which both the police and the soldiers have been used to for decades. Familiarity with a weapon is crucial for its user, where muscle memory comes into play during times of severe stress, such as in a firefight. With American-made weapons, they know how to quickly change empty magazines. They know what to do in case of jamming or stoppages. They are familiar with all the controls of the weapon. Having a new platform obligates the need for extensive training.
But doesn't the country have a firearms industry as well? To my knowledge, there are three local suppliers of firearms to the US, maybe even more. They compete in the already saturated but lucrative market of the US, even gaining praise for their products. Why doesn't the PNP purchase arms from these local manufacturers? Don't they trust local firearms? Do they fail the standards and requirements of the PNP? Don't they trust the firearms to perform well, even under the harshest of conditions and situations? Does the colonial mentality extend to firearms as well? I can assume the savings the government can enjoy if local firearms were procured for both the PNP and the AFP, which can also be good for the country's economy.
There is no argument that the police must have the best equipment, particularly weapons, for them to fulfill their mandate "to serve and protect". The problem lies in the current image of the PNP, mostly due to its bloody war on drugs ever since the assumption of the Duterte administration. Thousands have been killed by the police in supposed legitimate operations, while thousands have also been killed by unknown perpetrators, remaining unsolved by the PNP to this day. The limitation of American firearms into the country may not even affect the ongoing drug war, as there are other places to buy weapons. The bloody campaign will continue, until President Duterte modifies or halts it outright. Something no one expects him to do, regardless of who no longer wants to supply the country with weapons.
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