Duterte vows to avoid US arms purchases

Dharel Placido, ABS-CBN News

MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday said his administration will no longer purchase arms and military equipment from the United States after the latter threatened to impose sanctions on countries buying military equipment from Russia.In a speech in front of soldiers in Bulacan, Duterte said he will not look to buy arms from the US, a treaty ally of the Philippines, after Washington blocked an arms deal with Manila upon the opposition of an American senator who raised concerns about human rights violations here.Duterte claimed that aside from Russia, the US was also against Manila purchasing arms from China, Washington’s chief economic and geopolitical rival.“Pagka bumili ka sa China o maybe Russia, magsali ka sa embargo. You cannot trade with America. So para kang inipit doon sa ano. Eh sabi ko naman sa --- your superiors and the civilian leaders, with that kind of arrangement, do not expect me to buy arms from the United States,” he said.(If you buy arms from China or Russia, you will be sanctioned due to the arms embargo. You cannot trade with America. So it’s like you’re pushed to a corner. I said to the superiors and civilian leaders, with that kind of arrangement, do not expect me to buy arms from the United States.)Duterte said he would instead seek arms from other Philippine allies, such as Israel and South Korea.“I will not agree to buy [from the US]. Pangit tingnan. Hindi maganda. It does not sit well with the Filipino na ganunin ka tapos pasunod-sunod ka na lang. Wala naman akong galit sa kanila. Sila ‘yung nauna. And they criticized me heavily dito sa drugs,” he said.(I will not agree to buy [from the US]. It looks bad. It would not sit well with Filipinos that you are being told what to do. I am not angry at them, but they were the first to hit me. And they criticized me heavily for my war on drugs.)Duterte made this announcement even as Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana announced last month that the Philippines will buy 16 Black Hawk helicopters from the Sikorsky Aircraft Corp for P12.67 billion ($240 million), shunning cheaper Russian equipment due to U.S. sanctions on Russian military exports.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/07/18/ph-to-buy-us-helicopters-not-russian-due-to-sanctions-lorenzana">PH to buy US helicopters, not Russian, due to sanctions: Lorenzana</a></li></ul>The Philippines is spending P300 billion ($5.6 billion) over the next 5 years to upgrade its defense capability, replacing World War II-era warships and Vietnam War-vintage fighters and helicopters.It recently acquired fighter jets from South Korea, logistics ships from Indonesia, and armored vehicles and ship-borne missiles from Israel. - with Reuters

MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday said his administration will no longer purchase arms and military equipment from the United States after the latter threatened to impose sanctions on countries buying military equipment from Russia.

MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday said his administration will no longer purchase arms and military equipment from the United States after the latter threatened to impose sanctions on countries buying military equipment from Russia.

Duterte vows to avoid US arms purchases | ABS-CBN

Halalan 2025

Entertainment

News

Metro.Style

Sports

More

Traffic

News

Duterte vows to avoid US arms purchases

Duterte vows to avoid US arms purchases

Dharel Placido,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jan 10, 2019 10:05 PM PHT

Read More:

Rodrigo Duterte

United States

Russia

China

military

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Advertise with Us

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.