At the Indian Embassy-organised defense industry seminar in Philippines Makati City on Friday, 18 Indian companies showcased a number of defense items, ranging from aircrafts, drones, helicopters besides artificial intelligence-based technologies.
“Like India, Philippines has to devote the bulk of its resources to development programs. So our share for national security, which is also a pressing requirement, is always constrained,” Indian Ambassador to the Philippines Shambhu Kumaran said.
“So within that constraint framework, if you’re looking at a realistic option, then I would suggest that India is a very good option,” he added, referring to the cutting-edge technology and competitive prices Indian defense equipment can offer.
Among the Indian companies present were DCM Shriram Industries Ltd, Bharat Dynamics Limited, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Mahindra Emirates Vehicle Armouring FZ LLC, MKU Limited, and Adani Defence Systems and Technologies Limited.
Kumaran expressed hope that India could be part of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ third phase of modernization, citing its successful deal on the BrahMos cruise missile system that he said would be delivered “soon”.“We have naval systems, we have fighter aircraft, we have a broad range of capabilities on the Indian side — helicopters, attack helicopters, land systems, artillery systems — and some of those would match with the capabilities you are looking to acquire in the Horizon 3,” he added.Kumaran said India is committed to “walk the talk” and help the Philippines enhance its capabilities.
“As two democracies, India and the Philippines have to work together to ensure that we create a regional and global environment that will allow us to address the fundamental requirements of our two nations — that is to create the enabling environment for our countries to grow,” he said.
“We are both peaceful nations. We do not crave other people’s territory, other people’s waters, but we will not see efforts that try to limit our access to our territory and our resources either. So we have to go beyond the talk,” the envoy said.
Kumaran also reaffirmed that India’s LoC offer to help Manila fund its defense modernization is still on the table.
“Our offer is very much on the table. We have announced our intent to offer a soft loan for defense procurements and this could also cover activities that would eventually extend to some sort of joint industrial activity,” he said.
Defence ties between India and the Philippines have been on the upswing.
In a bilateral meeting in 2023, the two nations sought to further upgrade official level interaction among defense agencies and expand training and joint exercises on maritime security and disaster response.
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