CLARK FREEPORT – Interior and Local Governments Sec. Mar Roxas said here that the government is saving about P30,000 per firearm in its purchase of at least 66,000 pistols for the country’s police force.
In press conference Wednesday, Roxas said the bulk purchase lowered the cost of the pistol which otherwise would cost from P45,000 to P50,000.
This would mean that the total cost of the pistols could be about P997.9 million, some P200 million less that the budget allocation of about P1.198-billion.
The purchased pistols, whose first delivery of 59,904 pieces is expected this December and January, cost the government only from P16,000 to P17,000 each.
“We will have savings of roughly P30,000 per sidearm and the big savings can be used for training and other needed equipment,” Roxas said.
The PNP-Technical Working Group (TWG) said the total delivery period for the firearms is 570 days, with the first tranche of 12,000 units to be delivered within 150 days after the notice to proceed is awarded.
The arms are to be provided by Trust Trade in joint venture with Glock, the supplier of the 9 mm Glock 17 Generation 4.
Roxas said the PNP followed the provisions of Republic Act 9184 in the pistol deal, which was considered the biggest single firearm procurement so far.
This, even as Roxas directed police in Central Luzon to scrutinize why the crime rate in the region has plunged by 44.8 percent so far this year, compared to last year’s.
While expressing elation over the drop in the number crimes in the region, Roxas expressed the need to know the exact reasons for the decreased number.
He noted some areas in the region where crime rate rose despite better ratio between police and population amid other areas where the rate went down despite lack of police personnel.
Knowing the factors that affected crime rate, he said, would enable police forces to even improve their crime-fighting capabilities.
