By Roy Mabasa
The United States government on Monday announced the delivery of P117.4 million ($2.2 million) worth of ammunition to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for use in its counterterrorism training.
In a statement, the US embassy in Manila said the more than five million rounds of ammunition was funded as a grant through its Counterterrorism Train and Equip Program and will be used primarily by the Philippine Army’s Light Reaction Regiment and the AFP’s Joint Special Operations Group.
Included in the shipments were various types of live and practice 5.56 mm and 7.62 mm rounds, 12-gauge shotgun shells, .50-caliber rounds, and stun grenades.
The ammunition was delivered to Clark Air Base in two batches on September 7 and 21, respectively.
On top of the ammunition provided through the grant, the shipment also included a Philippine Air Force purchase of more than one million rounds of ammunition through the US Foreign Military Sales program.
All in all, the delivery brought the total to more than six million rounds.
“The United States, as a longstanding friend, partner, and ally of the Philippines, continues to provide support to the AFP through both grant assistance and expedited sales of arms and munitions to assist both long-term AFP modernization goals as well as urgent counterterrorism and humanitarian aid and disaster relief requirements,” the US embassy said in a statement.