American defense officials are eyeing to convince their arms manufacturers to set up operations in the Philippines, said Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, who returned over the weekend from an official trip to Washington DC.
Zubiri said he met with US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Defense Lindsey Ford at the Pentagon last week, where they discussed modernization efforts of the Armed Forces of the Philippines as well as mutual concerns in the Indo-Pacific region.
“They’re willing to convince their arms manufacturers to move shop to the Philippines to partner with Filipino companies so that they will do the defense materials here in the Philippines,” the Senate leader said in an interview.
Zubiri’s announcement came days after Senator Imee Marcos said she will seek a
probe into the mysterious activity of a US Air Force Boeing C-17 in Philippine territory and airspace on June 26, stressing it raises questions of sovereignty and air travel safety.
Marcos, who chairs the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, said the Philippine government should know the plane’s mission, the identities of its flight crew and lone passenger, the type of its cargo, and the reason for a 10-hour layover in Manila.
Zubiri, for his part, said the possible transfer of operations of US arms manufacturers would be “a good thing” as it will generate jobsfor Filipinos. The parts for the arms and munitions to be produced can likewise be sourced in the Philippines.
“Of course, for the defense side, we have the [proposed] Philippine Defense Industry Development Act (PDIDA),” he added.
Zubiri filed the PDIDA bill in July last year.
“After what we saw during the Marawi siege, we were trying to go around begging for ammunition, begging for firearms, which is not necessary since we have the development, the technology, the people that can do it in the Philippines,” he said in an interview earlier this year.
He cited the case of the Marikina-based Armscor Global Defense Inc., the largest manufacturer of firearms and ammunition in the Philippines and Southeast Asia.
Armscor, Zubiri said, responded to the urgent call for firearms and ammunition during the five-month-long Battle of Marawi in 2017.
Zubiri said over the weekend that there is also a need to amend the Procurement Law, because “cheapest is not the best for military equipment.”
“At the same time, ‘brand new’ is not necessarily practical for ourcountry because the four new airplanes we got are equivalent to six or 12 – one squadron – of slightly-used airplanes from friendly countries or ally countries like, for example, the Netherlands,” he said.
He also announced that at least 10,000 to 15,000 workers will be hired to build American bases in Guam.
“And they are looking at Filipino workers to go to Guam and help build up the bases because they need to build the bases as soon as possible,” the Senate President said.
“Of course, they’ll discuss how to get the working visa, and they’re trying to get the State Department approval to hasten the proceedings.
They still have no workers,” he added.
