Recto on $500-M arms loan from China: Tap local industries instead

Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto on Tuesday cautioned the Duterte administration against the reported plan to take on the $500-million loan being offered by the Chinese government to modernize the Philippine military.

“We must stop relying on foreign suppliers to modernize the military equipment of our armed forces,” Recto said.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana earlier announced that the Philippines plans to utilize the said loan to procure defense equipment from China’s state-owned arms exporter.

“There is no need to borrow from China. We should tap our domestic industries for the equipment needed by our policemen and soldiers,” Recto said.

Recto said the government should tap the local firearms industry as well as boat builders and vehicle manufacturers so that jobs are also created for Filipinos.

The only equipment or parts the country should import, the senator said, are those which cannot be produced locally.

“We should not bypass local industries which can provide parts or whole of the defense equipment being sought,” Recto said.

“Buy local, create jobs. This should be the new mantra of the government,” he added.

Lorenzana said if the arms deal pushes through with China’s Poly Technologies, the Philippines will use the $500-million soft loan being offered by the Chinese government.

"We are not saying that we will buy from them or we will not buy from them but if we need anything from the Chinese defense industry then we're going to procure using the loan that they are going to offer to us," Lorenzana said. — Kathrina Charmaine Alvarez/RSJ, GMA News