(CNN) The chief of the Philippine National Police says his country will look elsewhere if it can't buy rifles from the United States.

The comments were in response to a report from Reuters that the US State Department halted the sale of about 26,000 assault rifles to Philippines police over concerns about the country's recent human rights record.

State Department Spokesman John Kirby said he could not comment on the arms sale due to federal regulations.

"We really need those firearms for our public safety forces in the PNP," said dela Rosa, according to CNN Philippines.

The amount of guns is not a huge loss from the Philippines -- they can buy guns from other people, says Richard Javad Heydarian, a political science professor at De La Salle University, Manila.

However, it's clearly a sign the Obama administration is losing patience with the Philippines, Heydarian told CNN.

"It's a shot across the bow -- it's a warning shot," he said. "Washington will not turn a blind eye to alleged human rights abuses."

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte was elected after pledging to wage an all-out war on drugs.

Since he's taken office, the country has seen a sharp rise in violence and extrajudicial killings.

Another bedrock of Duterte's time in office -- a shift in the country's international alliances.

Duterte has brought his country closer to China and Russia while vowing to distance the United States.

Duterte has hinted in the past that he's keen to strengthen Russian-Philippine ties.

He's also said that Russia could serve as an alternative arms supplier.</s>Duterte's tirades against the former colonial power are routine during his speeches and he said on Wednesday he once believed in Washington, but had since lost respect for what is the Philippines' biggest ally.

The U.S. State Department halted the sale of the assault rifles to the Philippine police after U.S. Senator Ben Cardin said he would oppose it, Senate aides told Reuters on Monday.

Aides said Cardin, the top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was reluctant for the United States to provide the weapons given concern about human rights violations in the Philippines during Duterte's bloody, four-month-old war on drugs.

"Look at these monkeys, the 26,000 firearms we wanted to buy, they don't want to sell," Duterte said during a televised speech.

"Son of a bitch, we have many home-made guns here. These American fools."

More than 2,300 people have been killed in police operations or by suspected vigilantes as part of Duterte's anti-narcotics campaign, which was the lynchpin of his election campaign.

Duterte has vented his anger at the United States for raising concerns about the extra-judicial killings.

"That's why I was rude at them, because they were rude at me," he said.

According to procedures in Washington, the State Department informs Congress when international weapons sales are in the works. Aides said the State Department had been informed Cardin would oppose the deal during the prenotification process, thus halting the sale.

U.S. State Department officials did not comment.

The Philippine police chief, Ronald dela Rosa, on Tuesday expressed disappointment that police would not get the M4 rifles, which he said were reliable.

Duterte reiterated that Russia and China had shown willingness to sell arms to the Philippines, but he would wait to see if his military wanted to continue using U.S. weapons.

"Russia, they are inviting us. China also. China is open, anything you want, they sent me brochure saying we select there, we'll give you.

"But I am holding off because I was asking the military if they have any problem. Because if you have, if you want to stick to America, fine.

"But, look closely and balance the situation, they are rude to us."</s>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - 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.

A member of the Philippine National Police (PNP) stands guard while residents look on near the scene where two suspected drug pushers were killed during a police operation, in metro Manila, Philippines October 8, 2016. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco

Aides said Cardin, the top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was reluctant for the United States to provide the weapons given concerns about human rights violations in the Philippines.

News of the thwarting of the weapons sale was met with disappointment among the Philippine police and government on Tuesday, but they said alternative suppliers would be found. Police spokesman Dionardo Carlos said the Philippines had yet to be notified about the sale being stopped.

The relationship between the United States and the Philippines, a long-time ally, has been complicated lately by President Rodrigo Duterte’s angry reaction to criticism from Washington of his violent battle to rid the country of illegal drugs.

More than 2,300 people have been killed in police operations or by suspected vigilantes in connection with the anti-narcotics campaign since Duterte took office on June 30.

The U.S. State Department informs Congress when international weapons sales are in the works. Aides said Foreign Relations committee staff informed State that Cardin would oppose the deal during the department’s prenotification process for the sale of 26,000-27,000 assault rifles, stopping the deal.

U.S. State Department officials did not comment.

Ronald dela Rosa, the Philippine national police chief and staunch supporter of the war on drugs, said he liked the American rifle, but suggested China as an alternative small-arms provider.

“We really wanted the U.S. rifles because these are reliable,” he told broadcaster ABS-CBN.

“But if the sale will not push through, we will find another source, maybe from China.”

In October, Duterte told U.S. President Barack Obama to “go to hell” and said the United States had refused to sell some weapons to his country, but he did not care because Russia and China were willing suppliers.

According to some U.S. officials, Washington has been doing its best to ignore Duterte’s rhetoric and not provide him with a pretext for more outbursts.

An open break with the Philippines could create problems for the United States in a region where China’s influence has grown.</s>Story highlights Reuters reports the US blocked the sale of 26,000 rifles to the Philippines

Report comes as Philippine-US relations have soured

(CNN) Outspoken Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte had a blunt message for the United States after reports emerged of a potentially blocked arms sale.

"They're blackmailing me that they won't sell weapons? We have lots of explosives here," Duterte said, according to CNN Philippines.

And suggested, the country would turn to Russia for its weapons.

"[I] remember what the Russian diplomat said: Come to Russia, we all have here anything you need."

The comments were in response to a report from Reuters that the US State Department halted the sale of about 26,000 assault rifles to Philippines police over concerns about the country's recent human rights record.</s>Duterte's tirades against the former colonial power are routine during his speeches and he said on Wednesday he once believed in Washington, but had since lost respect for what is the Philippines' biggest ally.

The U.S. State Department halted the sale of the assault rifles to the Philippine police after U.S. Senator Ben Cardin said he would oppose it, Senate aides told Reuters on Monday.

Aides said Cardin, the top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was reluctant for the United States to provide the weapons given concern about human rights violations in the Philippines during Duterte's bloody, four-month-old war on drugs.

"Look at these monkeys, the 26,000 firearms we wanted to buy, they don't want to sell," Duterte said during a televised speech.

"Son of a bitch, we have many home-made guns here. These American fools."

More than 2,300 people have been killed in police operations or by suspected vigilantes as part of Duterte's anti-narcotics campaign, which was the lynchpin of his election campaign.

Duterte has vented his anger at the United States for raising concerns about the extra-judicial killings.

"That's why I was rude at them, because they were rude at me," he said.

According to procedures in Washington, the State Department informs Congress when international weapons sales are in the works. Aides said the State Department had been informed Cardin would oppose the deal during the prenotification process, thus halting the sale.

U.S. State Department officials did not comment.

The Philippine police chief, Ronald dela Rosa, on Tuesday expressed disappointment that police would not get the M4 rifles, which he said were reliable.

Duterte reiterated that Russia and China had shown willingness to sell arms to the Philippines, but he would wait to see if his military wanted to continue using U.S. weapons.

"Russia, they are inviting us. China also. China is open, anything you want, they sent me brochure saying we select there, we'll give you.

"But I am holding off because I was asking the military if they have any problem. Because if you have, if you want to stick to America, fine.

"But, look closely and balance the situation, they are rude to us."</s>THE strained relations between the Philippines and the United States became evident when Washington terminated its plan to sell firearms to Manila.

A Reuters report said Sen. Ben Cardin, the top Democrat in the Senate foreign relations committee, blocked the deal to sell some 26,000 to 27,000 assault rifles to the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Citing Senate aides, the report added that the official opposed the provision of weapons to the Philippine police because of increasing concerns on human rights violations.

Cardin and Sen. Patrick Leahy earlier said the US Congress will take the policies of President Rodrigo Duterte into account when deciding on the grant of assistance to Manila for the current fiscal year.

The arms deal was halted after the Senate foreign relations committee informed the State Department that Cardin opposed the transaction during the department’s pre-notification process for the sale of weapons.

Duterte had kept up a string of verbal attacks against the US. When he visited China last month, he announced his “separation” from the US.

The President had been criticized by the US and United Nations for his tough anti-drug campaign that had left thousands of drug suspects dead.

Records showed that since July 1, over 4,700 drug suspects have been killed and 1,700 of these were slain during legitimate police operations.

The government, however, maintained that it does not tolerate extrajudicial executions.

The San Francisco Police Department earlier announced that it is ending its 16-year training program with the PNP because of concerns on allegations of civil rights violations in the Philippines.

US law enforcement and intelligence agencies have been providing equipment, training and intelligence to the PNP for years.

Senators, however, were not worried by the decision of the US State department to stop the sale of 26,000 assault rifles to the PNP.

“Since it’s a planned sale of assault rifles by the US to the Philippines, we do not stand to lose anything. There are tens of other countries that manufacture better and probably cheaper assault rifles than the US,” Sen. Panfilo Lacson said in a text message.

Lacson, who heads the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, noted that he is yet to see an investigation with the conclusion that massive human rights violations were committed by the police during implementation of an intensified campaign against illegal drugs.

“So I would take US Sen. Cardin’s statement as his own opinion and nothing more,” the senator said.

The State department’s move, according to Lacson, justified the need for the country to revive its self-reliance defense program (SRDP) to enable the Philippines to produce its own military hardware.

The RSDP was implemented during the time of President Ferdinand Marcos through Presidential Decree 415 issued on March 19, 1974.

The main purpose of the proclamation was to enable the Philippines to develop a local defense industry that can supply the materiel requirements of the Defense department.

The program, however, did not take off because the companies that participated allegedly got involved in corruption.

Another plan to revive the SRDP was raised during the administration of President Benigno Aquino 3rd.

 “There is now more reason for our Defense department to revive our self-reliance program so we can produce our own weapons and ammunition and other military hardware,” Lacson said.

Senate Majority Floor Leader Vicente Sotto 3rd also was not bothered by the decision of the State department.

 Instead, he questioned Washington’s double standard on the human rights issue.

Sotto said more than 1,000 people were killed last year in the Mexican drug wars but the US was silent about it.

“Dito one thousand plus lang ang dami na nilang sinasabi [Here only one thousand plus [were killed]and yet they [US] were saying many things already,” Sotto pointed out.

He said the Philippines can acquire weapons from Israel.

But to Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito, the US decision to stop the arms sale was a way to show that it is slowly flexing its muscles.

But Ejercito, like Lacson and Sotto, said the country can buy weapons elsewhere.

“There will be other opportunities. The US does not have monopoly of good firearms manufacturers. The PNP can now look at Israelí, Austrian or German made high-powered rifles, which are even superior,” he said in a text message.

Sen. Leila de Lima said the US action was expected.

“The Duterte administration saw this coming and of course was most probably indifferent to its consequences as its social media support groups and fake news sites will now drum this up as an opportunity to be independent of the US, and its support weapons supplies and technology,” de Lima added.

She maintained that Duterte’s so-called independent positioning is hollow and would only lead to the further isolation of the country from its allies in the region like Japan, Australia and South Korea.</s>MalacaÑang on Thursday called it a loss for the US if it stops a planned sale of around 26,000 assault rifles to the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Speaking to reporters, Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said the Philippines can still look for other sources of firearms and that the aborted deal will ultimately be the loss of the arms supplier.

“But then again, this [sale]is a process that the US government and the US Senate will have to fix themselves,” he added.

It was earlier reported that Sen. Ben Cardin, a top-ranking Democrat in the Senate foreign relations committee, would ask for the halt of the firearms deal.

The PNP was supposed to receive 27,394 basic assault rifles amounting to P1.7 billion next year.

The aborted sale was apparently an offshoot of the American government’s concerns over alleged human rights violations under the Duterte administration, particularly in its war on illegal drugs.

President Rodrigo Duterte, in a speech on Wednesday in Pangasinan, indicated that he might turn to Russia and China for the weapons if the US stops its sale.

According to the President, he had “lost respect” for the US, calling those behind the decision “fools” and “monkeys.”

“Look at these monkeys, the 26,000 firearms we wanted to buy, they don’t want to sell,” Duterte said, adding that Russia and China had shown a willingness to sell arms to the Philippines,

He, however, said he would wait to see if his military wanted to continue using US weapons.

“Russia, they are inviting us. China also. China is open, anything you want, they sent me brochures, saying we select there, we’ll give you… But I am holding off because I was asking the military if they have any problem. Because if you have, if you want to stick to America, fine.”</s>"They're blackmailing me that they won't sell weapons? We have lots of explosives here," Duterte said, according to CNN Philippines.

And suggested, the country would turn to Russia for its weapons.

"[I] remember what the Russian diplomat said: Come to Russia, we all have here anything you need."

The comments were in response to a report from Reuters that the US State Department halted the sale of about 26,000 assault rifles to Philippines police over concerns about the country's recent human rights record.
United States State Department blocks the sale of firearms to the Philippines due to concerns of human rights violations.