In June 2021, the U.S. State Department approved the potential sale of F-16 fighter jets, as well as Sidewinder and Harpoon missiles, to the Philippines in three separate deals.
This came on the heels of Washington’s charm offensive to convince Manila to retain the Visiting Forces Agreement and continue their partnership as treaty allies.
However, no less than Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said in September 2021 that the Philippines is unlikely to proceed with the purchase of the F-16s due to budget concerns.
The defense chief also said that the government is looking for alternative sources of fighter jets, such as Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets, due to lower costs.
With these developments, the decision on the fate of the $2.5 billion sale of F-16 fighter jets and other equipment from the United States should be left to the new administration.
In fact, the new President should scrap the F-16 deal entirely, as government funding might be better spent somewhere else, especially since the coronavirus pandemic continues to ravage the world.
It is worth noting that the defense department has annual budget of around P200 billion (US$4.3 billion) per year. Acquiring the F-16s already represents more than of the agency’s annual budget.
On the other hand, the proposed price for the F-16s already represents one-fifth of the five-year budget for AFP modernization. It is foolish to rely on a handful of aircraft for our national defense, and at this level of costs.
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It therefore makes sense to look for other vendors for fighter jets who can provide more units at the same price.
More important, Washington considers this deal as important in nurturing its relations with Manila. But it needs to be stated that treaty allies should treat each other under conditions of mutual benefit.
If the prices of their fighter jets cannot compete with the prices of other suppliers, Manila should certainly reconsider its status as a US ally.
More than anything, what matters to the Philippines today is to preserve sufficient funding for its coronavirus response.
For context, the proposed price for the F-16s is already sufficient to provide booster shots to all Filipinos. It is also sufficient to build at least 24 world-class tertiary hospitals to augment existing hospitals responding to the coronavirus pandemic.
But most important, the new President will have to decide the fate of US-PH relations during their term. Will it continue the Duterte policy of independent foreign policy and balancing between Beijing and Washington? Will it return to the fold of Washington as its reliable allly in the Indo-Pacific?
With the concerns raised on the F-16 proposal, the new President should seriously rethink whether Washington truly considers the Philippines as its close friend, partner and ally.