Duterte Declines U.S. Offer to Sell F-16 Jets to the Philippines

25 Agustus 2018

F-16PF for Philippines (photos : Maxdefense)

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — President Rodrigo Duterte is saying no thanks to the United States' offer to sell F-16 jets to the Philippines.

Speaking at the 12th anniversary celebration of the Armed Forces of the Philippines' Eastern Mindanao Command in Davao City Thursday, the President said three U.S. Cabinet members wrote him a letter to make the offer.

He was referring to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Defense Secretary James Mattis.

"We hope to partner in other significant defense procurement of our mutual benefit including through the Lockheed Martin F-16 multi roll fighter platform and your attack helicopter platform among other U.S. systems," said the letter which the President read.

President Duterte declined the proposed deal, saying the military does not need F-16 jets because the Philippines is not at war with any country.

"We do not need any F-16s. It would be utterly useless to buy it, but I need attack helicopters and small planes for the counter-insurgency," he said.

However, the President said he wanted to meet with the three American officials to talk about the proposed deal and the ties between the U.S. and the Philippines.

He recalled how American lawmakers earlier opposed plans for the U.S. to sell assault rifles to the Philippines over human rights concerns in his drug war.

"I want to meet three of them. Mamili sila ng… hindi ako pupunta nang Amerika. There will never be a time na pupunta akong Amerika," Duterte said.

[Translation:I want to meet the three of them. They can choose... I will not go to America. There will never be a time that I will go to America.]

Duterte added, "How sure na makuha ko yung binili ko? Kung bilhin ko yung isang dosenang F-16, madeliver kaya nila? Ni hindi nga nila madeliver yung M16."

[Translation:What the assurance that I will get what I bought.  If I buy a dozen F16s, will they be able to deliver? They can't even deliver the M16s.]

The President also had a condition before the meeting could proceed — the return of the Balangiga Bells.

During his second State of the Nation Address, Duterte called on the U.S. to return the bells, which American soldiers claimed as spoils of war after they retaliated against Filipino villagers and guerrillas who attacked a U.S. garrison in Balangiga, Eastern Samar in 1901.

"Can the passage of time cure an injustice… just because it was 100 years ago, so it is erased? Kung hindi nila isauli iyang Balangiga Bells, wala tayong pag-usapan," he said.

[Translation: Can the passage of time cure an injustice... just because it was 100 years ago, so it is erased? If the Balangiga Bella are not returned, there is nothing to talk about.]

President Duterte has recently been verbally attacking the U.S. for discouraging the Philippines from buying Russian submarines.

He criticized the U.S. for selling six refurbished choppers to the Philippines, three of which already crashed, killing some Filipino pilots.

He dared the U.S. to "prove to me first that you are in utter good faith."

"Mahirap 'yang sabihin mo na [That's hard when you say] 'we are friends.' We are friends but remember you made us a colony years ago. 'Wag mo sabihin na [Don't say]… it was not a friendship agreed upon, mutually satisfying. It was a friendship imposed on us," he said.

(CNN)