Air Force seeks new supplier for helicopters

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Air Force is looking for new suppliers of helicopters to replace a contract with Canadian Commercial Corp. that was cancelled over human rights concerns raised by the Canadian government.

 

Lt. Gen. Galileo Kintanar, commanding general of the Air Force, said in a report by state-owned Philippine News Agency that a technical working group will look for possible suppliers. The deal will follow the same procurement process for the cancelled deal for Bell 412 EPI helicopters.

 

"As of now we do not want to speculate. the (technical) working group will look into (for) any solution from the east and western countries," Kintanar said.

 

The Department of National Defense cancelled the contract for 16 Bell 412s after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the deal rescinded.

 

Members of Canada's parliament, including its Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, had aired concerns that the helicopters might be used against Filipino citizens.

 

"[O]ne of the cruel ironies of this helicopter deal is that Philippine President Duterte, who is unquestionably presiding over one of the world's worst human rights situations, once admitted to throwing a man out of a helicopter and said that he would do it again," MP Randall Garrison said in early February.

 

Freeland said the Canadian government has not received any application for an export permit related to the deal. "I will conduct an extremely rigorous human rights analysis of any potential export permit application related to this contract," she also said.

 

The Department of National Defense earlier issued a notice to CCC terminating the contract for the supply and delivery of 16 units of Bell 412 combat utility helicopters for the PAF.

 

"While the combat utility helicopters being purchased are primarily for the purpose of transporting personnel and supplies, the department believes that it does not owe the Canadian government any justification for an outright purchase of equipment from a privately-owned company," Arsenio Andolong, chief of the Defense Department public affairs office, said in announcing the cancellation of the contract.

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