The Philippines’ potential purchase of F-16 fighter jets from the United States has been put on hold due to budget constraints, Manila’s ambassador to Washington said on Tuesday.
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The US State Department approved the potential sale, valued at an estimated US$5.6 billion, earlier this year in what was seen as a significant capability boost for the Philippine Air Force amid rising regional tensions.
“Right now, I think it’s on hold, mainly because … the funding is the key element of this whole purchase,” Jose Manuel Romualdez, the ambassador to the United States, told reporters.
It’s really the funding that is the choke point
Romualdez said Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro had said there were other priorities for the Armed Forces of the Philippines ahead of such a big-ticket item.
“We’ll see how it goes in the coming budget deliberations on how the AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines] will spend the allotted amount for the modernisation programme,” he said. “But like I said, it’s really the funding that is the choke point.”
In June, the Philippines signed a 975.3 billion won (US$703 million) deal for 12 FA-50 fighter jets from South Korea.
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The Philippines has stepped up military modernisation in recent years, prioritising naval and air defence assets to strengthen its capabilities in the South China Sea, but officials have acknowledged that budget limitations restrict what can be done.