 "'We're procuring more BrahMos, can't stay out if Taiwan war breaks out...': Watch Philippine President Marcos interview")
Bongbong Marcos, the president of The Philippines, in an exclusive interview with Firstpost, mentioned that the Southeast Asian nation is procuring more BrahMos missiles from India.
“I’ve spoken to the officers and soldiers who operate the BrahMos system. They say they need more. Thankfully, it has never been used, but from training and practice runs, they are confident in the system. We are likely to procure more,” he said.
Philippines is the first country to place an order for these supersonic missiles, known to be the fastest of their kind in the world. The powerful munitions are made by the Indo-Russia joint venture, BrahMos Aerospace Ltd.
“The Philippines is in the process of modernising our military. We’re looking to see what’s most suitable for our defensive needs,” he said, adding that “The Indian defence industry is growing rapidly, and the technology is second to none. That’s always an option for us.”
When asked which platforms Manila might be interested in Marcos said, "
Everything is on the table at the moment. As you may know, the Philippines is in the process of modernising our military. We’re looking to see what’s most suitable for our defensive needs."
Apart from procurement of military equipment, he emphasised on the significance of the exercises and cross-training that India and The Philippines carry out together. “When I left Manila a couple of days ago, four Indian vessels were in the South China Sea[…]three were conducting exercises with the Philippine Navy.”
“That kind of training is important — not just for technical reasons, but also for interoperability with our allies. We have to upgrade our equipment to match that standard.”
Impact Shorts
More ShortsAgainst the backdrop of fears that China could invade the island territory of Taiwan, Marcos was also asked whether Manila would be open to allow US to use resources and bases in The Philippines in that scenario.
“If there is confrontation over Taiwan between China and US, there is no way Philippines can stay out of it…simply because of our physical geographic location.”
“If there is an all-out war, we will be drawn into it. We will have to go into Taiwan and bring our people home,” he said, emphasising that there are many Filipino nationals living on the island territory.
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
