MANILA: Canada and the Philippines signed a deal yesterday to help Manila buy military equipment to defend its territory, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Filipino President Benigno Aquino said.
The Philippine defense department and state-run Canadian Commercial Corp. signed the agreement as Harper met Aquino at Malacanang Palace in Manila, the two leaders announced at a joint news conference. The deal was inked amid a territorial dispute between the Philippines and China over islands and waters in the South China Sea.
"This memorandum of understanding will enable the Philippines to acquire the equipment and expertise it needs to fulfil the country's defense and security agenda," Harper said.
Under the deal, Filipino purchases of equipment and expertise from Canada's $12.6 billion (US$12.6 billion) defense industry are guaranteed by the Ottawa government, according to a Canadian government statement.
"This will help us in our efforts to build our defense and security capabilities," Aquino said, declining to elaborate. "I cannot go into specifics lest they be observed by less friendly individuals."
Faced with insurgencies and an increasingly assertive China, Aquino noted that the military had just two transport aircraft, no fighter jets and just 132 mainly World War II-era ships.
"The fundamental issue is that we have a lot of outmoded equipment," he said.
| Buying new equipment is one thing, knowing how to use it is another... |
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