Duterte's Intentions

[AlwaysRt]

10 hours ago, Hey Steve said:

I'm wondering if that trend will continue as the US sent a somewhat subtle message to Duterte by recently cancelling an order of 26m assault rifles earmarked for the PNP. (Maybe our gov't could not justify spending the money in light of how Duterte has chosen to handle this).

I am wondering how 26,000 rifles became 26,000,000 rifles???

"WASHINGTON - The U.S. State Department halted the planned sale of some 26,000 assault rifles to the Philippines' national police after Senator Ben Cardin said he would oppose it, Senate aides told Reuters on Monday."   http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/31/16/us-stopped-philippines-rifle-sale-that-senator-opposed-sources

[robert k]

54 minutes ago, AlwaysRt said:

I am wondering how 26,000 rifles became 26,000,000 rifles???

"WASHINGTON - The U.S. State Department halted the planned sale of some 26,000 assault rifles to the Philippines' national police after Senator Ben Cardin said he would oppose it, Senate aides told Reuters on Monday."   http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/31/16/us-stopped-philippines-rifle-sale-that-senator-opposed-sources

I didn't fact check on this. Just commented on someone else's comment and ran with it.

26k rifles probably wouldn't be worth starting a production line...but as the Philippines already produces a near identical rifle already that would be a moot point.

I could see 26k rifles being very popular...with those who have no need for them. If it was 26k rifles, likely none of them would ever see field use unless the enemy was able to steal one from a headquarters company. Every rear echelon officer and their lacky (and everyone in supply) would each have to have one before one was issued to someone in the field. That's the way it works in the US Army, anyway.

[Hey Steve]

10 hours ago, robert k said:

I didn't fact check on this. Just commented on someone else's comment and ran with it.

 

I may have lent some confusion on this earlier post of 26,000 rifles as I had used "M" (as being the Roman numeral for thousand) and mm in the past I had seen it used for "million" (maybe old school-my bad-sorry). I'll stick to K (for thousand) - my lesson for the day-thanks for correcting me.

Either way since it's not really significant as to the financial impact of the potential buyer or seller, it's still a subtle message to Duterte of disapproval from the US (as these rifles being earmarked for the PNP) and did not want the US taxpayer to fund anything connected to this activity.

Edited November 2, 2016 by Hey Steve

[Bruce]

10 hours ago, robert k said:

25 million rifles

OOPS! Depending upon one's education background and location... K means 1,000. To others, M (a Roman numeral) means 1,000.

In this case it is 26,000 rifles not 26,000,000. Earlier in this thread someone wrote 'm' and others assumed the 26,000m meant millions.

[johnbarley]

11 hours ago, robert k said:

Well Jack, I did see an article that said Filipinos could fish the waters around the disputed islands again so maybe some good has come of it.

And there's the bone that the Philippines was hoping for. Also helps to save a bit of face. 

China's ownership of the area becomes more solidified, they get a backer in Asia, who might support them in further claims against Vietnam (maybe the Philippines can wrangle another small concession?), and makes it significantly tougher for the US to challenge them militarily.

The Philippines gets a small stake in the area and escapes getting used as cannon fodder by the US to confront China, and gains maybe the biggest, most important nation in the world (definitely in Asia) as its ally.. They lose the small chance there was of getting ownership.

The US gets egg in its face and loses its prospective base for challenging China. I actually think that the US was never going to back up their claim anyway. In which case it just saved the US from wasting more money on military bases and joint training. 

A win/win/lose or maybe even a win/win/win.

I have an alternative theory that the US knew Duterte was leaning this way all along and that's why they were so vociferous in the election campaign and afterwards. They already were working on keeping him from becoming president or getting rid of him. Do we really think the US cares about "human rights" when it comes to their allied nations? But it's doubtful because some of the Filipino elite who backed DU30, like Fidel Ramos, have apparently been taken by surprise. Unlikely that the US would know more about the future pivot than Filipino insiders.

It would be staggeringly stupid if the US has lost an ally at least in part because they tried to interfere in its domestic policies which have no impact on the US whatsoever. Especially when the policy is overwhelming supported by Filipinos and when the US's qualifications for taking the moral high ground are highly dubious to say the least. But some say the leaders in the West have become so fanatically devoted to their new "religion" that there's a chance this is what actually happened. 

[Kuya John]

24 minutes ago, johnbarley said:

 But some say the leaders in the West have become so fanatically devoted to their new "religion" that there's a chance this is what actually happened. 

There's an awful lot of "New Religion" around the forum these last few days

But Duterte seems to be playing a great hand, surprisingly. 

[robert k]

3 hours ago, Hey Steve said:

I may have lent some confusion on this earlier post of 26,000 rifles as I had used "M" (as being the Roman numeral for thousand) and mm in the past I had seen it used for "million" (maybe old school-my bad-sorry). I'll stick to K (for thousand) - my lesson for the day-thanks for correcting me.

(looks like Bruce reinforced this below-I might be hidden from him lol)

Either way since it's not really significant as to the financial impact of the potential buyer or seller, it's still a subtle message to Duterte of disapproval from the US (as these rifles being earmarked for the PNP) and did not want the US taxpayer to fund anything connected to this activity.

Wasn't blaming you, I was blaming me. Yes I know that M was used by the Romans for thousand. Hopefully since I am quoting you Maybe Bruce will not be able to see my post either.

26t rifles, (if we are going to make things confused, might as well go for broke?) would be such an insignificant and useless gesture, I can't see why the US would even propose it to begin with. The US gives almost as many weapons to the Mexican drug cartels.

[Hey Steve]

1 hour ago, robert k said:

 ....I can't see why the US would even propose it to begin with. The US gives almost as many weapons to the Mexican drug cartels.

If not more in 'round about ways. It seems on the surface that Duterte's war on drugs is being fought on the street level and yet nothing regarding syndicates. The term drug lord is very loosly used in the Philippines IMO. The real ones are out of reach.

[johnbarley]

Quote

on the surface that Duterte's war on drugs is being fought on the street level and yet nothing regarding syndicates. The term drug lord is very loosly used in the Philippines IMO. The real ones are out of reach.

Ironically, that's the effective way to control drugs.  You have to go after the small time users and pushers not the kingpins. I've been saying this for years. 

Edited November 2, 2016 by johnbarley

[robert k]

9 minutes ago, johnbarley said:

Ironically, that's the effective way to control drugs.  You have to go after the small time users and pushers not the kingpins. I've been saying this for years. 

You have a point. You could have tons of the stuff but if you don't have a distribution system, what do you do, go out and sell it yourself?