MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine Army has recently acquired 70 Chinese-made military vehicles.
A technical inspection is ongoing for 49 light troop carriers, 18 medium cargo trucks, and three ambulances manufactured by Chinese state-owned Dongfeng Motors, Army spokesperson Col. Xerxes Trinidad told Inquirer.net.
An ambulance costs almost P5 million each; the light troop carriers were around P2.5 million each; and the medium cargo trucks were almost P5 million each, he said.
The vehicles were delivered last July 15 and were brought to an Army unit in Zamboanga City.
The lowest bid was made by supplier Jinyi Import & Export Trading Co. Inc. Other bidders were South Korea’s Kia Motors and Russia’s Ural, Trinidad said.
The vehicles are currently undergoing “very rigid” inspection and several field tests, said Trinidad.
“The delivery itself is for technical inspection, if we will accept it,” he said.
“So there’s a big possibility that if what they delivered was not what was promised regarding specifications, we will not accept. Definitely,” he said partly in Filipino.
More details about the purchase will be released after the technical inspection, he said.
The acquisition of the Chinese-made military vehicles is a procurement project of the Philippine Army in 2019.