Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Wednesday that the Philippines rejected the United States’ offer on selling its attack helicopters because of budget issues.
Lorenzana clarified that the rejection had nothing to do with the administration’s termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement with the US.
The 1998 Visiting Forces Agreement gives a legal framework for the entry and stay of US military forces in the Philippines.
“We cannot afford [them]. We only set aside P13 billion. If we buy attack helicopters at those prices, we can only get one or two [from the US]. We are shopping around … [so] we can buy more aircraft [within the budget],” Lorenzana said.
The Diplomat reported on May 1 that the US approved two possible Foreign Military Sales for the Philippines. “According to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), the US Department of State notified Congress that two possible sales of military helicopters were approved,” the report said.
“One possible sale concerns six AH-64E Apache helicopters and associated support equipment. Another concerns six AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters and related equipment. The value of the estimated AH-64E sale is $1.5 billion; the AH-1Z sale is estimated to cost $450 million,” the report added.
The AH-64E Apache is a twin-seat, twin-turboshaft attack helicopter. The E variant is a recent upgrade, expanding the engine, armament, and on-board connectivity capabilities. The E variant is capable of controlling unmanned aerial vehicles and has a higher payload capacity along with more sophisticated data links.
The AH-1Z Viper is a twin-engine attack helicopter that is smaller than the Apache and lower payload capacity.
The President first threatened to revoke the VFA after Senator and former PNP Chief Bato Dela Rosa’s US visa was canceled. He also then banned Senator Edward Markey of Massachusetts from entering the country.
In February, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin signed and delivered the notice of termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement.
US President Donald Trump meanwhile said the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) termination between the US and the Philippines is fine with him and that it would save his country a lot of money.
“If they would like to do that, that’s fine, we’ll save a lot of money,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
The Philippines has received benefits from the US through the VFA including $267.75 million (P13.58 billion) from 2016 to 2019, $200 million (P10.14 billion) for aircraft, training, equipment, and construction for the Armed Forces of the Philippines, $45 million (P2.2 billion) in foreign military financing, and more.