DND may rethink fighter jets plan over funding concerns

DEFENSE SECRETARY Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr. on Tuesday said he would hold off on acquiring coveted multi-role fighter jets if funding falls short, stressing he would prefer buying enough aircraft to exert credible deterrence than settle for a few within the budget.

He said the government should buy a minimum of 40 advanced fighter jets to shore up air power, and he would proceed with the purchase if enough funding for those planes is provided.

“We will not allow buying only a few jets,” he told reporters in Filipino, based on a recording shared by the Department of National Defense (DND). “There is a minimum impact quantity when you order.”

“We cannot buy a few and then purchase more the following year, because the price will balloon and triple,” he added.

The Philippines has been scouting for multi-role combat jets as part of efforts to boost its inventory of air force planes, which mainly consist of turboprops, and as Manila faces a dispute with Beijing in the South China Sea.

China claims nearly all of the South China Sea via a U-shaped, 1940s nine-dash line map that overlaps with the exclusive waters of the Philippines, resulting in clashes at disputed maritime features as both the nations uphold their claims in the resource-rich waters.

“The force size we are asking for is 40 jets,” Mr. Teodoro said. “But still, that is not enough.”

Washington last year greenlit the Philippines’ request for 20 units of F-16 fighters from Lockheed Martin Corp., according to a Defense Security Cooperation Agency notice in April.

The proposed $5.6-billion arms deal includes missiles, bombs, radar units, backup jet engines and engineering and technical support services for the planes. Mr. Teodoro in 2024 said the government is allotting as much as $6.9 billion for the acquisition of 40 advanced military jets.

The Philippines has launched a $35-billion military modernization program aimed at bolstering its defense capabilities in the next decade, buying warships from South Korea, a missile system from India, all while letting a US missile battery that could hit the Chinese mainland stay in the country.

Manila is also seeking to deepen its security ties with other nations by forging agreements letting foreign militaries enter the country.

Mr. Teodoro also said the Philippines cannot escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, as US President Donald J. Trump presses its allies to provide military support to open the crucial chokepoint.

“We don’t have the capability to escort,” he said, adding that authorities are doing “everything” to help Filipinos affected by the Iran war. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio