DILIMAN, Quezon City — Amidst the ongoing probe over massive corruption behind government flood control projects, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla doesn’t mind facing an investigation into the attempted budget insertion for an P8-billion arms deal proposal.
The deal, which reportedly triggered the relief of former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Nicolas Torre III, embarks on buying 80,000 pieces of assault rifles at P100,000 apiece.
Torre refused to sign an “accomplished request letter” which already had Remulla’s signature for two reasons — the PNP doesn’t need that much, and that the price per unit of the rifle is “extremely excessive.”
NO COERCION
The supposed document, which was posted (and has gone viral in social media) was confirmed by Remulla himself. He however insisted that Torre was never forced to sign the “accomplished request letter.”
The former top cop’s refusal to sign the proposal allegedly led to his removal as the country’s top cop. In place of Torre, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. named Lieutenant General Melencio Nartatez to assume the top PNP post.
According to highly-placed sources, Nartatez has “deep ties” with the most powerful political clan in Cavite.
LIE DETECTOR
Following his admission on the supposed letter request embarking on the P8-billion arms deal, Remulla expressed willingness to provide details of the aborted deal.
Interestingly, Remulla declined to disclose who submitted the firearm purchase proposal to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
The DILG chief likewise floated the idea of submitting himself to a lie detector test.
“If I’m called on by Congress and the Senate to give all the details, I will do it… I’m willing to take a lie detector test to prove my point that I wasn’t allowing the proposal,” the DILG said in a press conference.
RAISING DOUBT
Digging deeper, sources asserted that if Torre had signed the proposal, it would have been brought to House Speaker Martin Romualdez for possible budget insertion into the 2026 national budget, since the PNP doesn’t have funds for such.
But the concession here is to purchase the 80,000 pieces of assault rifles pegged double the price offered by another company. The amount stipulated in the request letter that Torre didn’t sign is P8 billion which translates to P100,000 apiece.
The “other” company tendered an offer of P49,000 each.
FOILED PERKS
The foiled arms deal would have made the “facilitator” P4 billion richer at the very least, the source added.
By his own admission, the scheme embarking on overpricing and rebate is an open secret in the PNP — and even in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
For one, arms procurement forms part of the AFP modernization required in defending sovereign rights over the disputed maritime region referred to as the West Philippine Sea where bullying of Chinese Coast Guard and militia vessels has become a norm.
BIDDING FIASCO
The same source also took a swipe at what he described as “spurious” bidding process embarking on elimination.
Sought to elaborate, the source cited an instance when a foreign supplier which offered the lowest price, was disqualified over “fabricated allegations” in an effort to ensure that the contract goes to a bidder known for being “generous” to signatories and facilitators.
Hence, the contract was awarded to an arms dealer at twice the price. The deal would have allowed the Philippine Coast Guard to utilize the “savings” for other needs — additional personnel and communication equipment in protecting the West Philippine Sea from foreign poachers.