Noy twits Poe on surface-to-air missile issue

MANILA, Philippines - Recalling the frustration of Sen. Grace Poe over the government’s failure to acquire surface-to-air missiles to protect the country’s maritime territory, President Aquino reminded her such endeavor should only be carried out after careful study.

“You know, it needs to be studied thoroughly,” Aquino said in Filipino in response to sentiments aired by Poe during the March 20 presidential debate hosted by TV5 and The STAR in Cebu City. Poe is running for president as an independent candidate.

While the government has the resources to buy such weapons if only to make Beijing feel the country’s readiness to protect its sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea, Aquino said his administration has to prioritize poverty alleviation programs.

“This candidate talks as if she has already studied all the aspects of this issue,” he said, apparently referring to the senator. He said it’s easy to say the country needs this weapon or that weapon as he again endorsed his candidates Manuel Roxas II and his running mate Leni Robredo, along with other Liberal Party candidates in Caloocan City – Edgar Erice and Oscar Malapitan.

He said a surface-to-air missile system needs a platform and may be mobile or at fixed location. Aquino said these are the factors the government has to consider in acquiring such weapon system.

Putting surface-to-air missiles on the disputed Kalayaan Group of islands may likewise be perceived by China as a threat and give it an excuse to launch a “preemptive strike” against Manila.

The President reminded Poe of the futility or foolishness of engaging China in an arms race, which could only heighten tension and leave the country’s economy in worse shape.

But even if the Philippines has acquired the right weapons, it would still be best to see them unused as a contrary scenario would mean war has begun, he said.

He said it would be more practical to modernize the military to enhance the capability of soldiers by providing them with high-powered rifles, durable boots, and bigger allowances.

He said more funds should be allocated for fighting insurgency in the countryside and dealing with local terror groups like the Abu Sayyaf.

Indian frigates

Meanwhile, an Indian company has offered the lowest bid to provide two frigates for the Philippine Navy, one of the biggest projects in the military’s modernization program.

Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd., a state-run firm, has been declared the lowest bidder for the multi-billion peso frigate acquisition project, Defense Undersecretary Fernando Manalo told The STAR in a recent interview. 

Garden Reach offered to supply the ships for P15.047 billion, about P950 million lower than the P16 billion approved budget for the project.

Four firms joined the bidding for the project last month. Other companies that submitted offers were Hyundai Heavy Industries, Inc. and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. Ltd., both from South Korea; and Spanish firm Navantia S.A.

Only Garden Reach and Hyundai were declared qualified bidders as the two other bidders had failed to meet some documentary requirements.

Hyundai submitted a bid worth P15.744 billion, higher by around P700 million than the offer of Garden Reach.

Garden Reach will have to meet the post-qualification requirements before it can be declared the winning bidder. The post-qualification phase allows the government to check if the offer of the lowest bidder is compliant with the technical specifications of the project. The phase involves visits and inspections to the suppliers’ office and facilities.

“The technical working group is preparing the post-qualification plan,” Manalo said.

On its website, Garden Reach described itself as “the premier warship building company in India” that is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Defense.

The company said it has built 95 warships like state-of-the-art frigates and corvettes and fast patrol boats since 1960.

It also claimed to have built and supplied close to 700 vessels to carry men and materials for surveillance of coast line by police forces.

The frigate acquisition project is one of the military projects aimed at boosting the Philippines’ territorial defense and disaster response capabilities.

The ships can enhance the Philippines’ security presence in the West Philippine Sea and can participate in relief efforts in calamity-struck areas.

The two frigates are also expected to complement the BRP Gregorio del Pilar and BRP Ramon Alcaraz, acquired by the Philippine Navy from the United States Coast Guard.

The defense department is also planning to spend about P2 billion for the ammunition of the two ships.