MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte once again blasted the United States after the latter thumbed down the Philippine plan to purchase Russian submarines.
In a speech in Davao City on Friday, the President slammed Assistance Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs Randall Schriver for warning the country over its plan to purchase submarines in Russia.
“We have been warned not to buy submarines from Russia,” Duterte said. “[Schriver], meet me in a forum and I will invite everybody. You state your case why you are against my country acquiring submarines. Give me a reason why and make it public.”
“You want us to remain backwards? Is that the way you treat an ally? And you want us to stay with you all the time? Think about it. Why did you not stop the other countries in Asia? Bakit kami pinipigilan nyo?” he added.
Schriver on Thursday said in an interview that he did not think buying equipment from Russia would be “a helpful thing to the alliance” of the Philippines and US.
“Diyan tayo mag-aaway sa principle na ‘yan. What’s the problem about acquiring submarines? We are not using it against you, neither can we use it against China or anybody else because we are under armed,” Duterte said.
The President continued hitting the US, saying, “Itong Amerika binentahan tayo ng segunda manong mga helicopters. Tatlo dun bumagsak na at may namatay pa.”
“I rule out any possibility of submarines from the US this might just implode like their helicopters,” he added.
Russia is among the possible suppliers for the first Philippine purchase of submarines.
The Department of National Defense said the plan is still being studied and nothing is final yet./PN
