MANILA (1st UPDATE) - President Rodrigo Duterte has cancelled the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) rifle deal with a United States supplier that was stopped by the US State Department due to concerns by a US senator over human rights violations in the Philippines.

In a speech during the signing of the Executive Order on the reconstitution of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission, Duterte said he has ordered the PNP to cancel the order of about 26,000 M4 assault rifles from the US.

“I would like to announce the 26,000 of M16 that was maybe ordered, they were ordered already, I am ordering its cancellation sa pulis,” Duterte said.

He added that the country will have to look for another source of rifles that are “cheaper and maybe as durable and as good” as those from the US.

"We will not insist in buying expensive arms. We can always get them somewhere else,” Duterte said.

There is also no need to rush the rifle deal according to the President, since the Philippines has no enemy.

“Wala naman tayo kalaban tayo-tayo lang nagpapatayan dito,” he added.

(We have no enemy. We are only killing each other.)

Reuters reported on November 1 that the US State Department halted the planned sale of some 26,000 M4 assault rifles to the PNP amid concerns of human rights violations in the country.

Aides said Senator Ben 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.

Over 2,000 people have been killed in police operations or by suspected vigilantes in connection with the anti-narcotics campaign since Duterte won the May 9 elections.

The U.S. State Department informs Congress when international weapons sales are in the works.

Aides said Foreign Relations committee staff informed the State Department 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.