Faulty army rifles camefrom equally flawed deal

You reap what you sow

Had Justice Sec. Leila de Lima been consistent with her work, the Iglesia ni Cristo would have no pretext for anti-government protests. Sadly, gaps in her performance open de Lima to criticism of “selective justice.” A faction of the religious denomination is using that very line to avoid criminal investigation by inciting the demonstration at EDSA.

De Lima admirably was fast to file charges of pork barrel plunder against three opposition senators – but not the dozens of other lawmakers of the ruling Liberal Party exposed by the Audit Commission.

She took only three months to indict VP Jojo Binay for multiple graft while mayor of Makati – but has ignored for more than a year now complaints against fellow-Cabinet members Proceso Alcala for overpricing of rice imports and smuggling of vegetables, Joseph Abaya for contracting inept LP party mates for multibillion-peso train maintenance, Mar Roxas for questionable purchases of police patrol jeeps and fire trucks, Ramon Paje for illegal grant of nickel mines, Voltaire Gazmin for purchase of faulty combat helicopters, and Florencio Abad for fund misspending.

Working with the Ombudsman, her office was quick to indict for negligence the field officers who led the SAF in raiding a terrorist hideout without coordinating with truce-mate MILF – but has yet to indict the 102 MILF members who massacred the SAF-44.

De Lima is properly quick to grant protected witness status to two INC ministers who claimed illegal detention by their superiors. So now the INC hierarchy has an excuse to rant that de Lima has not acted on its months-long plea for justice for two of their members in the SAF-44.

Selective justice is a double-edged sword.

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The recall of Army rifles due to defective rear sights is an offshoot of the original faulty bidding, ordnance experts say. Thus, the weapons need inspecting for overall reliability, and the purchase contract itself for integrity.

Such product and contract review would implicate the same defense officials in the purchase of un-airworthy helicopters. In effect, the very modernization of the military is at stake, the sources add.

“Tens of thousands of soldiers’ lives are imperiled by the defective carbines,” one source laments, while requesting anonymity for now. “Have they not learned enough lessons from the massacre of the SAF-44 due to defective grenade launchers?”

The Armed Forces had recalled 19,886 M4 carbines for repair of rear sights that kept slipping off. Last week military affairs chief Col. Noel Detoyato announced the “replacing” of the defective parts. Too, that 24,300 more M4s, from US company Remington Defense, were ready for distribution to the Army and Marines.

The sources dispute that, though. They say the sights were not replaced but “merely installed with clips to prevent the slipping from zero-target,” one explains. “But those clips can fly off, so the problem remains.”

The source says inaccurate fire, especially in close combat for which the carbines were purchased, “could cause our troops their lives.”

The Dept. of National Defense ordered 50,629 M4s from Remington in Apr. 2013, for use against communist and separatist rebels. The purchase warranties need reviewing because of the defects, another source says. Allegedly the clip is not an integral part of the rifle, so is “just a remedy.” But the sight is a basic part that was found faulty, “what other parts could be as slipshod?”

The sources say Remington was never a maker of military-specification M4s, only of sports versions for hunting or plinking, spare parts and ammunition.

They recall that Remington was declared the “lowest qualified bidder” in 2013 when in fact it was the sole bidder because three others were debarred. Allegedly needing review is if Remington complied with basic requirements: a previous contract in the host country amounting to the $37-million (P1.7-billion) project price, and wide military use in two other countries.

The DND bids and awards committee was under the direction of U-Sec. Fernando Manalo and Asst. Sec. Patrick Velez. The bidding came as a surprise then, because the DND was in the thick of talks for Colt, the original developer of the M4, to manufacture it locally. It was supposed to be in joint venture with the government arsenal and Colt-Malaysia.

Defense Sec. Voltaire Gazmin was about to ink the local manufacturing deal with the president of Colt-U.S.A. when the bidding was announced. He later signed the Remington supply contract.

Reportedly the government arsenal rejected the Remington M4s, and the Army and Marines complained about the defective parts, prompting the recall. The rifles came with 5,503 close-range optics from Korea, worth P200 million, which the Marines allegedly also deemed defective.

Manalo and Velez were linked to the purchase of 21 combat-utility helicopters for the Air Force modernization. Costing P1.3 billion, the aircraft turned out to be decades old and merely refurbished. Some were faulty and wouldn’t fly, so were rejected by pilots. Contract signatory Gazmin was forced to rescind the order for the late arrivals.

Remington is in global news of late for its recall of eight million hunting rifles for defective triggers. The Models M700 and M7 dangerously fired even without pulling the trigger.

CNBC.com exposed earlier close to a dozen deaths and 200 serious injuries caused by the misfiring. A class suit was filed in Missouri against the firearms maker. The recall and replacement, estimated to cost Remington $300 million, reportedly is part of an out-of-court settlement (see http://www.adn.com/article/20141205/remington-replace-nearly-8-million-rifle-triggers).

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