Philippines’ Duterte makes U-turn on US order for 26,000 rifles
[The president] told me to continue the deal ... The processing of documents are going on smoothly
Duterte had a week ago expressed anger at “fools” and “monkeys” in Washington seeking to block the deal and said he would cancel it himself. But Duterte’s police chief said he revoked that decision, apparently after Republican Donald Trump’s surprise win in the US presidential election.
“[The president] told me to continue the deal,” Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Ronald Dela Rosa, told a news conference. “... we have the blessing of the president to continue the transaction.”
Aides to Ben Cardin, who sits on the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, last month said the State Department had been informed Cardin would oppose the deal during the pre-notification process, effectively putting the brakes on it.
Cardin was reluctant for the United States to provide weapons to the police given concern about alleged human rights violations in Duterte’s war on drugs, which killed 2,300 people in its first four months.
“If they will block it, I’m sure the president will again tell me to stop it. We’re paying for it, we’re not begging for it,” he said.
