Military gets P183M worth of weapons, equipment with US assistance

THE ARMED Forces of the Philippines on Monday took delivery of weapons and equipment worth P183 million from the Joint United States Military Assistance Group-Philippines (JUSMAG-Philippines) at the Clark Air Base.

The delivery, which aims to boost the military’s counterterrorism and maritime security capabilities, was paid for by the Philippine government with grant assistance from the US, the American Embassy in the Philippines said in a statement on Tuesday.

The shipment included nine M3P .50 caliber heavy machine guns, 10 mortar tubes and other equipment.

Col. Stephen C. Ma, JUSMAG-Philippines chief and senior defense official, said the US will continue supporting the Philippine military’s capacity-building efforts through training and key military training equipment transfers.

“Our mutual security collaboration remains a cornerstone of a free and open Indo-Pacific,” he said in the statement.

The Philippines is the largest recipient of military assistance from the US in the Indo-Pacific region, according to the US Embassy. Since 2015, the country has received more than P48.6 billion in US security assistance.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte last week extended, for the third time, for another six months the suspension of the termination of the country’s visiting forces agreement with the US, a pact that allows the entry of foreign military troops in the country for joint drills.

In February last year, he said he would terminate the agreement after the US Embassy cancelled the visa of his ally Senator Ronald M. dela Rosa.

Mr. Duterte suspended the termination for six months in June 2020, citing the heightened tensions in the region and that it was a distraction to the countries’ anti-coronavirus efforts. He suspended it again for another six months in December. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas