Metro Manila Philippines – The plan to purchase a missile system from the United States aims to boost the country’s defense capabilities and should not be questioned by other countries, Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez said.
In an interview with NewsWatch Plus, Romualdez said the possible procurement of the Typhon missile system is a welcome move for the US.“It’s not a question of talks. It’s a question of our intention… kung ano yung mga listang gusto natin bilhin sa US [Our purchase list from the US]. I think that it’s already been indicated by (Defense) Secretary (Gilbert) Teodoro na interesado tayo bumili ng [that we are interested to buy] Typhon missiles. I think the US is very happy with that dahil siyempre [because, of course] it’s also going to help us in our defense, part of our defense strategy so kapag natuloy, mabuti iyan [that will be good should it proceed],” he said.Romualdez said the missile system is purely for defense and other countries, like China, should not be questioning the move. That’s just a medium range missiles that is really purely for defense. ‘Yung long range yun medyo iba yung usapan dyan pero for for ours, importante sa atin yan. Kaya hindi natin maintindihan kung bakit maraming sinasabi yung mga ibang bayan, specifically on China [The long-range missile is another thing, but our our purpose, the short-range missile is important],” he added. Last year, the government allowed the deployment of the Typhon missile system in the country. China has expressed strong objection.“China has made clear our opposition more than once. The deployment is a move to turn back the wheel of history. It gravely threatens regional countries’ security, incites political confrontation, and has aroused high vigilance and concerns of countries in the region,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “We urge relevant countries to heed the call of countries in the region, correct the wrongdoing as soon as possible, stop inciting military confrontation, quickly pull out the missile system as publicly pledged, and avoid going further down the wrong path,” it added.Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo previously assured Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that the US missile system is not a threat to regional stability.
