Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. attended the 76th founding anniversary of the Philippine Air Force Monday (July 3) in a ceremony at Clark Air Base in Pampanga, north of Manila.
He expressed gratitude for the dedication and sacrifice of the men and women of the service in their efforts to secure the archipelago from various aerial threats, local media reported.
"...[O]n behalf of the Filipino people, I thank you for your service." the president said. "May you continue doing your best in all the endeavors that you are given and inspire your fellow airmen and airwomen to do the same."
Marcos reiterated his administration's commitment to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Modernization Program to boost its defense capacities, especially with the air force's role in maritime patrol missions in the South China Sea. The commitment also included the country's deal with the US to increase its military presence across the Philippines in response to rising tensions between the US and China.
"The winds of change signal geopolitical changes around our region and other parts of the world that [have yet to] affect us," he added.
Philippine Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro earlier asserted the Philippines should not be a pawn of the "geopolitical battle" between the US and China, saying the country was "a value proposition by its own self". The statement reflected the aftermath of the visit of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to Beijing last June.
Prior to the ceremony, Marcos witnessed the capability demonstration of the Philippine Air Force at the Crow Valley Gunnery Range in the nearby province of Tarlac.
Philippines Signs a Deal with Sweden to Acquire the JAS-39 Gripen
Last month, Manila signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on defense materiel cooperation with Stockholm that could pave the way to secure a major deal to supply Saab JAS-39 Gripen multirole fighter jets for the Philippine Air Force.
The deal was signed when then-acting Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. and Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson were attending the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
"The agreement opens up opportunities for Swedish defense industries to participate in the Armed Forces of the Philippines modernization program as well as for possible joint initiatives in support of the Philippines' thrust to achieve a self-reliant defense posture," said the Philippine Department of National Defense in a statement.
Days before the deal, air force chief Lt. Gen. Stephen Parreño led a contingent to Sweden where they engaged with their Swedish counterparts and toured the Saab facility to see the Gripen and the Saab 340 AEWCS, a twin-engine aircraft capable of housing its Erieye airborne early warning and control systems.
It is reported the Philippine Air Force would be provided with the Gripen's C/D variant
There are other fighter aircraft models the Philippine Air Force is seeking to acquire, such as the Lockheed Martin F-16 Viper and the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 Boramae.
The Philippine Air Force was founded on July 1, 1947, and currently has 17,600 active and 16,000 reserve personnel.
After the retirement of its fleet of Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighters, the Philippine Air Force was left with no supersonic fighter jets until the commissioning of the KAI FA-50PH light combat fighter in 2015.
