P131.7 M worth of Army ammunition deteriorating – COA

MANILA, Philippines - More than P131.7 million worth of ammunition bought by the Philippine Army since the 1980s are deteriorating because of poor storage conditions and poor maintenance in the field, the Commission on Audit (COA) said the other day.

The COA stressed such failure to make good use and take good care of much-needed ammunition for the country’s soldiers resulted in the loss or wastage of scarce government resources.

In a report released yesterday, state auditors said the protective package of 44,000 rounds of cartridge 7.62 ball worth P1.8 million were also found infested and destroyed by termites, which means they have been exposed to the elements for too long.

Based on the Army’s Annual Accomplishment Report for 2012, its firepower continued to be sustained with the issuance of 4,088 assorted firearms amounting to P143.1 million last year.

Some 8,525,426 pieces of assorted ammunitions and/or explosives valued at P463.5 million in addition to 36,050 firepower-related equipment worth P152.5 million were also made available to military personnel.

In total, the COA report said more than P758.7 million worth of guns, bullets and other supplies were issued in 2012, with ammunition and or explosives comprising the biggest chunk at 61 percent.

Records further showed the costs of delivered ammunitions to the Army from 2010 to 2012 totaled to P1.015 billion while the value of issued ammunitions to personnel for the same three-year period reached more than P1.936 billion.