Army soldiers get new assault rifles

The 99th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army received new assault rifles on Friday from Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Lieutenant General Andres Centino.

The firearms are Taurus T4 5.56mm assault rifles which are part of those acquired by the Philippine Army to replace old M-16 rifles through the 2019 appropriations, the AFP said in a press release.

Centino turned over the new rifles at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija.

During the turnover, the AFP chief reminded the troops to be disciplined and not be involved in illegal activities, such as pilferage and selling of government-owned weapons and ammunition.

The AFP said over 6,000 new assault rifles will be given to the Army's 11th Infantry Division, and the rest will be turned over to other Army units.

Centino also reminded the troops of President Rodrigo Duterte's order to finish armed threats before his term ends and to secure the Eleksyon 2022.

"We have a tall order ahead of us, but I believe we can comply in ending local armed conflicts. Take good care of our resources. Let us use them judiciously with our remaining time," he said. —KG, GMA News