Glock dealer to seal P1-billion gun deal with PNP

MANILA, Philippines - The 9mm Glock 17 Generation 4 pistol is reportedly two steps away from sealing the deal with the Philippine National Police (PNP) for the procurement of firearms worth P1.198 billion, according to the PNP Technical Working Group.

Senior Superintendent Edwin Roque, head of the Bids and Awards Committee secretariat, said the TWG has submitted a recommendation to BAC declaring as “passed the 9mm Glock 17 Gen 4 pistol and the documents of Trust Trade.”

“The company will be declared as the lowest calculated responsive bid, meaning the firm complied with the requirements for the supply of 59,904 units of pistol,” Roque said.

He said the TWG and BAC would recommend to PNP chief Director General Nicanor Bartolome to award the contract to Trust Trade.

Meanwhile, the PNP appealed to the media to be responsible in reporting gripes obviously coming from the losing bidders.

“We’re calling on the media to check their facts first before coming up with a story. Anybody can make a call, blog or tweet but it could be on the loser’s side,” said PNP deputy chief for operations Deputy Director General Emelito Sarmiento.

Sarmiento issued the call following false reports that the Glock pistol suffered problems while undergoing the endurance firing test, although a few instances of defective ammunition were noted.

Earlier, Roque said the gun samples passed the Metals Industry Research and Development Center of the Department for Science and Technology (MIRDC-DOST) for the magnaflux and metal composition tests after completing the 20,000-round endurance and stress test.

According to Roque, the PNP would save about P200 million from the P1.198 billion allocated budget since the procurement would only be P997,997,045.76 or P16,659.76 for each pistol.

He said the PNP could use the money to procure other equipment to improve police service.

Senior Superintendent Roberto Fajardo, head of the TWG, said Trust Trade’s mother company is in Austria but the firearms would come from US.