CAGAYAN de Oro City Mayor Constantino Jaraula turned over 12 M-16 baby rifles worth P1.2 million to Police Superintendent Antonio Montalba on Monday.
The City Government funded the purchase of the firearms for the police special weapons and tactics (Swat) team to maintain peace and order in Cagayan de Oro City.
The ammos are trailer-blazed type of M-16, which is smaller than the regular M-16 but the capacity is the same as the regular one, which is semi automatic type and is fed using 20 rounds box magazine made from aluminum.
Montalba said he was so happy with the ammunition, saying it will greatly help them in fighting crimes, especially since the new rifles are much better than the regular one.
The Swat policemen are trained to deal with unusually dangerous or violent situations and have special weapons such as rifles that are more powerful than those carried by regular police officers. They are employed in situations such as hostage-taking or when heavily armed persons need to be captured.
Jaraula said Cagayan de Oro is a fast-rising city with its economy blooming and residents are spreading out like mushroom.
He said the city really needs to be protected and will need additional teams to maintain the safety of the residents.
The city now has 130 new police recruits posted in different strategic areas.
Aside from the ammunition, Jaraula said additional police stations will also be put up within the city.
“We will not take compliance to the criminals roaming around the city, who by now are waiting for a chance to catch their, as what the saying goes, a good precautionary measure is better than an ounce of cure,” Jaraula said. (NJM)