The Philippines has submitted to China the list of defense equipment it hopes Beijing can supply through a $14-million grant, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Tuesday, February 7, reported Rappler on February 7.
Delfin Lorenzana also disclosed another additional procurement demand for $500 million worth of weapons from China, including precision-guided munitions, boats and UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicle).
Lorenzana said he submitted the list to Chinese ambassador Zhao Jianhua “three weeks ago”. If the Chinese side approves the funding, a representative of the Philippine government will go to China, according to the report.
“We haven’t gone there (to send a representative) because we just gave them the list, so if they can supply the equipment, that’s when we will go,” said Lorenzana.
Asked whether the wish list includes precision-guided munitions, Lorenzana said, “Yes.” He added, “We asked for many things – boats, drones,” said the report.
But in a text response to Rappler later, Lorenzana said the precision-guided munitions are in a list of equipment to be covered by a $500 million soft loan, not the $14 million grant.
According to the report, he specified that the Philippines is asking for precision-guided munitions, not missiles, which are more “sophisticated.”
Precision-guided munitions are satellite-guided munitions designed to hit a specific target. Lorenzana said PGMs will “lessen” casualties, compared to the use of unguided bombs, according to the report.
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