The Philippines has traditionally leaned on the United States, a longtime ally, for security, but President Rodrigo Duterte has repeatedly threatened to reduce purchases of US weapons in favor of Russian and Chinese arms since coming to office in 2016.
In September 2016, the President, announced his “independent foreign policy” as he ranted against international condemnation of alleged extrajudicial killings in his brutal war on drugs.
But concerns were raised over obstacles to reducing dependence on the United States for security, including retraining a military deeply accustomed to working with US armed forces.
In October 2016, the President said the United States had refused to sell some weapons to the Philippines, but he did not care because Russia and China were willing suppliers.
A planned sale of more than 27,000 assault rifles by an American supplier to the Philippine National Police got derailed after some US legislators raised concern over the President’s police-led crackdown on illegal drugs.
In November 2016, in an apparent about-face, the President said he would reconsider his decision if the military would recommend continued weapons purchases from the United States.
He said he had asked Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and military officials to travel to China and Russia to look at what weapons the two countries had to offer, but added that the military’s recommendation would be crucial.
In June 2017, however, the President said he would no longer accept secondhand equipment from the United States. He spoke as 4,000 government troops struggled to contain Islamic militants who had laid siege to Marawi City.
Days after his remark, the United States turned over to the Philippine Marines hundreds of new weapons, including M4 carbines, Glock 21 pistols, M134D Gatling-style machine guns and M203 grenade launchers.
In September 2017, the President said the weapons he needed to finish his war on drugs were precision-guided munitions.
“I’m facing a vicious drug front controlled by the Bamboo triad, our container circuit being used (by Sinaloa) to place cocaine. If I want to end it, I don’t have the weapons like what they have,” he said, referring to the United States.
“If I only had those precision-guided weapons, everything here would be wiped out, including the trees,” he said. —Inquirer Research
Source: Inquirer Archives