July 7, 1999, The Philippine Star, AFP soldiers in danger from own firearms, by Efren Danao,

July 7, 1999, The Philippine Star, AFP soldiers in danger from own firearms, by Efren Danao,

The fighting men of the Armed Forces may be in danger -- not only from enemy fire, but from their own defective firearms.

This concern was raised by Sen. Rodolfo Biazon yesterday as he called for the replacement of "unserviceable and outmoded" weapons issued to individual soldiers.

Biazon, chairman of the Senate committee on national defense, said that during his numerous inspections of soldiers in the field, he discovered that many of their weapons are beginning to show deterioration due to age and wear.

"The butts of some rifles are loose and are about to fall off, and the receiver groups and metals which are showing corrosion are also about to fall off," he said.

Such a situation could lead to soldiers facing a bigger threat from their own weapons, rather than from enemy fire. The problem is compounded by the fact that, often, Filipino soldiers' opponents are better armed.

Biazon proposed that replacement of soldiers' individual weapons be included in the equipment plan of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Modernization Law. He said machine guns and M-16 Armalite rifles, which are still the standard weapons of the AFP, are not only outmoded but also need replacement.

The Armalite rifles were issued during the time of the Vietnam War, nearly 40 years ago.

Recently, there was a recommendation to buy P4 billion worth of M-16A2 rifles for use by the Philippine Army alone. Biazon stressed, however, that all weapons purchased under the AFP Modernization Program can also be used by other AFP branches of service, which he termed the "inter-operability" of all weapons within the AFP.

It was also revealed during a Senate defense committee hearing that the bullets for M-16A2 rifles can not be manufactured by the government arsenal in Bataan. The arsenal requires more funds to modify certain machines to produce the bullets required for more modern firearms.

Biazon also called for the modernization of the AFP's radio equipment.

"The radio equipment is not only outmoded but also unreliable," he said. -- Efren Danao