Following President Rodrigo Duterte’s order in his final State of the Nation Address, Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa has filed a bill seeking an investigation into the alleged importation and sale of AK-47 rifles to communist rebels.
Under Senate Resolution No. 811, Dela Rosa asked the appropriate Senate committee to conduct an inquiry into the issue with the aid of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
“The sale of these rifles to NPA (New People’s Army) rebels with the aid of unscrupulous law enforcement agents and government employees is alarming,” read Dela Rosa’s resolution.
“Despite the pendency of graft and corrupt criminal cases against alleged perpetrators, there is a need to determine the means and method exploited that enabled private individuals and corporations to sell firearms to the communist-terrorist group,” it added.
Dela Rosa said the Senate probe intends to review and strengthen laws and policies on issuing and granting firearm licenses and permits.
In his resolution, Dela Rosa named a certain Isidro Lozada, owner of the Caraga Security Agency, who allegedly imported and registered over 1,000 AK-47 rifles with the PNP despite irregularities in the application of permits and licenses
Lozada allegedly used several names of corporations to facilitate the purchase and registration of firearms.
Dela Rosa said 44 of the over 1,000 rifles were recovered by the military in clashes with rebels in Caraga region and Western Mindanao region.
In his final SONA delivered July 26, the President ordered Dela Rosa, his former PNP chief, to inquire into the importation of AK-47 rifles supposedly sold to communist rebels.
Duterte named a police colonel allegedly involved in the importation and sale of the weapons.