Philippines seeks second-hand F-16s from United States

[SpArK]

Philippines seeks second-hand F-16s from United States​

MANILA, Dec 21 (Reuters) - The Philippines has asked
the United States, its closest security partner, to give it at
least a squadron of second-hand F-16 fighters to help upgrade
its territorial defences, the foreign secretary said on
Wednesday.

The Philippines has no air power to speak of, with its
40-year-old F-5A/Bs fighter jets retired from service several
years ago. It has no bombers or surveillance aircraft and still
flies Vietnam War-era UH-1H helicopters.

"We are just trying to restore our capability as it was
before," Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario told
reporters.

He said he hoped the fighters would be acquired through
excess defence articles, a U.S. military aid programme.

"I think we are actually behind the curve ... we have been
far more advanced many years ago in terms of military
capability," he said.

Del Rosario said acquisition of the F-16 fighters would be
among issues to be discussed in strategic talks in Washington.

Philippines seeks second-hand F-16s from United States - chicagotribune.com

 

[Pakchina]

Its is an insult for the philippinos population that their corrupt Gorvernment is considering to purchase F 16 fighter jets amid the recent typhoon and flood which had killed thousand and leaving millions with no shelter and food. After the passage of the typhoon, there was no rescue teams and the Government and Authorities were strangely absent leaving millions without aid. The Philippinos Governemnt should learn from China how to respond in case of natural calamities. The US is driving the Philippines to its own destruction. It is pushing the Philippinos Government to compete and bully China and engage into an arms race with China and other Asian countries. It is not China which will threatens the Philippines but its own corrupt Government and the US.
The Philippinos Government will be more wise to concentrate on rebuiliding the country and providing basic shelter and food to the millions who had been affected by the typhoon. This disaster has revealed the extreme poverty of the population and lack of vision and planning of the Philippinos Government. A simple typhoon had left havoc and human disaster. It is a pity to see these thousand of women and children without food and shelter while their Government will spend millions of dollar in purchasing fighter jets and warship from the US to challenge China in the South China sea. It is better for the Philipinos Government to concentrate in consolidating its impoversihed economy to challenge China, to build social housing for its millions of leftovers women and children, to build infrastructure and to invest in meterological equipment in view of monitoring typhoon and establish an alert system to inform the population to take precautions in case of such disaster. It is not China which the No 1 threat to the Philippines but the US, its corrupt Government, Islamic radicals and the corrupt Philippinos politicians who are not better than Corazon Aquino.