MANILA – The Asian Defense & Security (ADAS) 2022, which is the 4th Asian Defense and Security, Crisis & Disaster Management Exhibition and Conference, opened at the World Trade Center in Pasay City, Philippines recently, drawing delegates from military organizations, dignitaries, government officials, guests and even thousands of visitors from the civilian sector.
ADAS 2022, attracted a total of 157 exhibitors from 31 countries in Asia, Europe, North and South America, and Africa showcases the world’s leading products and technologies in the field of defense and security.
“This year, there’re 31 countries here, including the Philippines, and considering what’s happening in the world, that’s a decent number,” said Philippine Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, the guest speaker who opened the three-day exhibition.
“May we have a productive, enjoyable and meaningful time in this event,” added the defense chief, who thanked APAC EXPO Pte Ltd Managing Director Andrew Marriott for “holding another exhibition here in Manila.”
The ADAS 2022, which is being supported by the DND, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police, Philippine Coast Guard, the Office of the President of the Republic of the Philippines and other government agencies in Manila, is the second time that it is being held in the Philippines.
The ADAS was launched in 2014 and has been staged every two years since, except in 2020 when it was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In his speech, Lorenzana said APAC EXPO’s decision to hold the exhibition in Manila showed the importance of the Philippines around the world, particularly in the Asia Pacific region.
“The DND is proud to be your partner in this undertaking. The defense sector appreciates this gesture recognizing our importance as a strategic nation in the Asia Pacific region,” Lorenzana said.
“In behalf of the President and Commander-in-Chief, Rodrigo Roa Duterte, I declare the 4th Asian Defense and Security, Crisis & Disaster Management Exhibition and Conference open,” the secretary ended.
The AFP Chief of Staff General Andres Centino could not be more appreciative of the importance of the holding of the exhibition in Manila. “If there is no event like this, we could not see the capabilities that we wanted. So, it’s good that we have an opportunity to see for ourselves the available assets that we wanted to use,” the Philippine military chief.
The exhibitors, some of them even accompanied or joined by their country officials, were very optimistic of the exhibit’s market outcome for their products. “We have been present in ADAS since 2014.
“We have always been here and will always be here. We’re presenting what we have to offer. Now, we do have an agreement on defense cooperation (with the Philippines) from 2017. We have an MOU (memorandum of agreement) on defense and logistics in 2021. So, we have the platforms, we have the products and we’re here to present them and hopefully achieve some good results with the project,” said Czech Republic’s Ministry of Defense Deputy Director Ben Ziga.
“We congratulate the Philippines and the Department of National Defense and also the organizers because we are moving ahead, which is the most important thing. You can talk about video conferences, you can talk about teams and all that. But to have these people, to keep relations to this is absolutely the most important. Despite that this is a 25 hours flight for me, we’re happy to do it,” Ziga added.
