Ombudsman urged to include PNP chief in AK-47 probe

MANILA, Philippines - A consumers' welfare group on Monday called on the Office of the Ombudsman to include Philippine National Police chief Director General Alan Purisima in its ongoing investigation into the 1,000 missing AK-47 assault rifles.

In a statement, the Coalition of Filipino Consumers (CFC) said it has received reports that it was the PNP chief who renewed the license to operate of gun supplier Twin Pines Inc.

"Why was the PNP chief excluded? Purisima is one of the major culprits here,” CFC secretary-general Perfecto Jaime Tagalog said.

Reports showed that the Twin Pines Inc., a licensed importer of firearms, gun parts, ammunition and shooting accessories, sold the AK-47 and M-16 Armalite rifles to JTC Mineral Mining Corp., which operates in the Caraga region.

The weapons supposedly were to be used by the mining firm’s security forces tasked to defend against the New People’s Army rebels and other criminals in the region.

However, police officers tasked to conduct a nationwide gun check discovered last year that the weapons were missing from JTC’s inventory.

The Office of the Ombudsman has created a special panel to investigate the officials involved in the missing firearms.

"The PNP-Firearms and Explosives  Office (PNP-FEO) is not a firearms dealer. It only acts as the repository of all firearms imported by dealers and those manufactured locally until these are sold and eventually licensed to buyers or applicants. The FEO also processes application for firearms license and maintains records of all firearms sold by dealers and those registered to individuals and juridical entities," the group said.

The CFC earlier filed plunder and graft charges against Purisima before the Office of the Ombudsman for his alleged ill-gotten wealth.

Purisima denied the allegations.