Th BRP Jose Rizal, one of the purchases made by the Philippines made in South Korea, started undergoing sea trials on Nov. 23, 2019. (Photo from the Philippine Navy)
BUSAN, South Korea — South Korea’s arms procurement agency said on Tuesday it signed a memorandum of understanding with the Philippines on “defense cooperation” to streamline Manila’s military purchases from Korean companies.
“The arrangement is expected to allow more South Korean companies to be able to make contracts with the Philippine government so as to promote their defense exports to the Southeast Asian country,” according to South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).
President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed an interest in procuring arms and warships from South Korea, following the Philippines’ recent acquisition of two frigates and a pending negotiation for the financing of two corvettes to be used for patrolling the Philippines’ southern seas.
According to a DAPA news release, the agreement was sealed between DAPA chief Wang Jung-hong and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana of the Philippines on the sidelines of the 2019 Asean-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit here.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Lorenzana deflected questions about any “arms deal,” though he gave updates on the progress of the Philippines’ acquisition of frigates and patrol boats from South Korea.
“Arms deal? Are we a dealer of arms? Not at all. They [South Koreans] are supporting the modernization. We are not procuring any arms or rifles from them, but we are now procuring from them [the] BRP Rizal and [the] BRP Luna,” he said, referring to the two newly purchased frigates.
“[The] BRP Rizal is close to completion, and its sea trial is [going on]. It will be delivered sometime in May, April or May next year… [The] BRP Luna [will be ready by] December next year,” Lorenzana said.
As for the two corvettes, he said the two parties were still in negotiations.
“I’d prefer that the negotiation will be done this December so we can sign the contract and so that they can start building the corvettes by January. Then they will be delivered within two years while the President is still in office,” Lorenzana said.
President Duterte arrived in Busan early on Monday to attend the summit between South Korea and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).
The Philippines and South Korea signed a five-year agreement for increased tourism on the sidelines of the summit.
The accord was signed for the Philippines by Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat and for South Korea by Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Park Yang-woo.
Valid from 2019 to 2024, the deal aims to introduce programs and activities that will boost tourist traffic between the two countries.
The agreement includes cooperation to ensure the safety of tourists from both countries.
During the third quarter, South Koreans remained the top visitors to the Philippines, numbering 1.4 million, a growth of nearly 21% over the same period last year.
In 2018, the Department of Tourism recorded 1.6 million tourist arrivals from South Korea, nearly 23% of the 7.1 million tourist arrivals for the whole year.
/atm