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PHL Army beefs up hardware with 114 APCs from US


The Philippine Army is set to receive on Thursday 114 refurbished APCs or Armored Personnel Carriers acquired last year from the United States, its spokesman said Wednesday.

Army spokesman Col. Benjamin Hao said the M113A2 vehicles, acquired through the US government's Excess Defense Articles program, will "enhance our speed and our personnel protection and even our firepower."

Hao said the vehicles will be formally turned over to the Army's Mechanized Infantry Division (MID), which currently has about 350 assorted armored vehicles, in a ceremony in Tarlac.

"Once they are turned over to MID, the Philippine Army will now distribute these equipment to line units," he said. The APCs are fitted with cal. 50 machine guns and tactical radios

Army chief Lt. Gen. Eduardo Año will receive the vehicles from Armed Forces chief Gen. Hernando Iriberri during rites to be held at the MID headquarters in Camp O’Donnel in Capas town.

Año will then hand over the armored vehicles to MID commander Maj. Gen. Edgar Gonzales.

Hao said the APCs arrived in two batches – 77 on December 9 and 37 on Dec. 14. US officials turned the vehicles over to the custody of the AFP general headquarters.

Some of the APCs were  paraded during the celebration of the AFP's 80th anniversary held in Clark Air Base in Pampanga. —KBK, GMA News

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