Malacañang said Sunday it was studying the possibility of procuring armaments and military equipment from Israel and Jordan to strengthen the Philippines’ defenses.
Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said the Defense and Interior departments “might” start the initiative.
But he said “there is no commitment yet” even as President Rodrigo Duterte instructed the military to only weapons only from Israel, particularly in intelligence gathering.
In his speech upon his arrival Saturday afternoon, Duterte was reticent about whether the country would procure armaments from the two countries.
“Well, in other areas except the military and police equipment, I can only answer that,” Duterte said.
But he expressed appreciation for the two countries, calling them “beautiful, safe and unproblematic” with strong military branches.
During his week-long trip, Duterte visited an Israeli facility to view its defense equipment. He also witnessed Israel’s demonstration of a response to a possible terrorist attack.
In Jordan, Duterte toured a military facility at the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center in Amman as he and several Jordan officials witnessed an urban guerrilla demonstration during the visit.
According to Israeli ministry data, the Holy City is one of the world’s top arms dealers, with nearly 60 percent of its defense exports going to the Asia-Pacific region.