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Out of P6-M seized arms cache, only two rifles came from military —AFP


Most of the firearms recovered by the Philippine National Police from a gun running group did not belong to the Armed Forces, the military said in a statement on Wednesday following its inventory.

The AFP accounting revealed only two of the confiscated firearms belonged to them: an M-16A1 rifle issued to the now-defunct Philippine Constabulary Support Command on July 8, 1982; and an M203 grenade launcher issued to the Service Support Command, now Army Support Command, on May 22, 1990.

AFP Chief of Staff General Ricardo Visaya ordered the inventory after PNP chief Director General Ronald Dela Rosa presented to the media an estimated P6 million worth of firearms and ammunition.

The cache of grenade launchers, high-powered guns, and thousands of ammunition were seized by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group during the implementation of a search warrant against Unding Kenneth Isa in Barangay West Crame last September 24.

Dela Rosa said in the news conference on Tuesday most of the ammunition were traced back to the government arsenal.

The PNP chief also suspected most of the firearms and ammunition seized from Isa will be supplied to the Abu Sayyaf Group in Basilan and Sulu.

Meanwhile, the AFP statement said Visaya has directed intelligence units of the Army, Navy, and Air Force to continue its investigations to help the PNP determine the origin of the confiscated ammunition.

"We will leave no stone unturned in this investigation and ensure that these unscrupulous acts will be stopped --as it must immediately stop-- and the perpetrators meted stiff punishments provided under the Articles of War parricularly AW 85 as may be warranted by Court Martial," AFP Public Affairs Office chief Marine Colonel Edgard Arevalo said. —Joseph Tristan Roxas/NB, GMA News

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