AN OPPOSITION lawmaker has filed a resolution urging a House committee to look into the reported sale of military-issued firearms and ammunitions to terrorist groups.
In House Resolution No. 2386, Magdalo Representative Gary Alejano said the recent arrest of a couple suspected of supplying firearms to terrorist groups Abu Sayyaf and Maute groups is “very reminiscent of past events in previous administration.”
“The incident is very reminiscent of past events in previous administrations which was one of the main reasons why the Magdalo staged a protest in 2003 where we asserted the unscrupulous individuals in government have been selling firearms to anti-government forces enriching themselves at the expense of the lives of our soldiers,” Alejano said in the resolution filed on Thursday, December 20.
Alejano said the chronic corruption in the military should be addressed immediately in order to weed out the unscrupulous members of the institution.
“Whereas, to preserve the honor, integrity and the dignity of the whole AFP, and most importantly, to preserve the lives of our soldiers who have offered their lives to serve our nation, the House of Representatives should immediately act on this very alarming incident and conduct an investigation on the matter with an end in view of instituting policies and reforms in the system,” stated the resolution.
The couple who were arrested in an entrapment operation early this month, Edgardo Medel and his wife Rosemarie, are facing charges for violating Republic Act No. 10591 or the Comprehensive Law on Firearms and Ammunition.
The police are looking into the possibility that a retired army soldier is supplying the couple with smuggled weapons. (SunStar Philippines)