US delivers P48.5M worth of new weapons, ammo to AFP

New weapons and munitions worth P48.5 million from the United States were delivered to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) at Clark Air Base over the weekend, the US Embassy in the Philippines said Thursday.

In a statement, the US Embassy said officials from the Joint United States Military Assistance Group - Philippines (JUSMAG-P) delivered the weapons and munitions last Sunday.

These items include 14 M2A1 .50 caliber heavy machine guns, seven M240B machine guns, and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

According to the Embassy, the new weapons and munitions are to enhance AFP’s counterterrorism capabilities and readiness.

JUSMAG-P chief and Senior Defense Official to the Philippines Col. Stephen Ma welcomed the delivery of the equipment to the country.

“As the United States and Philippines celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations today, we welcome this key equipment transfer, which will support the continued readiness of the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” he said.

The Embassy said the US and the Philippines are commemorating 70 years since the signing of the Mutual Defense Treaty, and the delivery continues the US’ commitment to its Filipino allies.

According to the Embassy, the Philippines is the largest recipient of US military aid in the Indo-Pacific.  Since 2015, the US has provided over P48.6 billion or $1 billion in security assistance to the Philippines, it said. — Joviland Rita/RSJ, GMA News