DATU ODIN SINSUAT — Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana will fly to Honolulu in Hawaii at the end of the month to meet with US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and his counterparts in the ASEAN to discuss security issues including the South China Sea dispute and terrorism.
“Ang pag-uusapan namin ay seguridad ng South China Sea, seguridad natin against terrorism at saka yung iba pang pwedeng problema sa kaligtasan natin,” he told reporters on the sidelines of turnover rites at Army’s 6th Infantry Division here.
A ruling in July by an international tribunal court favored the Philippines in its case against China’s massive claims in the South China Sea.
‘Rock solid’ ties with US
Despite the tirades of President Rodrigo Duterte that led to the calling off a bilateral meeting with the United States at the ASEAN Summit in Laos, Lorenzana said the relationship between the two countries has not changed.
“It’s strong. Malakas yan…Rock solid nga sabi ng mga Americans dyan ang defense relationship because US ang ating military ally. The Mutual Defense Treaty which was signed in the 1950s and it’s still there. Hindi naman namin inabrogate yun,” he said.
“Ang sabi lang ni Presidente we are also going to talk with others kung sino ang makakapagbigay ng magandang equipment to strengthen our defense alliance and we will do that but we will still have an alliance with the United States, “ he also said.
FA-50s for training
The defense secretary also defended Duterte’s wrong reference of the FA-50 lead-in fighter trainer jets supposedly purchased from the United States instead of South Korea.
In his speech to the Filipino community in Indonesia last week, the President criticized the jets given by the United States. The brand new jets were bought from South Korea.
“Mukhang nagkamali lang siya. Yung FA-50 is from South Korea, sabi niya dalawa lang eh hindi 12 yan. Yung 10 i-deliver pa lang,” he said.
He said the purchase of the FA-50s was necessary because it will train Air Force pilots until the government can afford real fighter planes like the F15 fighter jets.
“Ang nakita kong justification nung pagkuha ng past administration is the lead-in fighter kasi to eh, ibig sabihin pwede gawing trainer, pwede ring gawing fighter. Ang mga piloto dyan matagal ng hindi nakkahawak ng fighter planes so hindi natin pwede isabak agad sa real fighter planes…It takes years to train fighter pilots. Itong FA-50 ito yung una muna and then later on if we have the capabilities to purchase the real fighter planes we will still do that,” Lorenzana said.