RUSSIA donated on Wednesday firearms and various military equipment to the Philippines to help security forces fight terrorists.
President Rodrigo Duterte, accompanied by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Eduardo Año and National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr., toured the Russian anti-submarine ship Admiral Pantaleev docked at the Manila port.
Duterte was welcomed by officers of the Russian Navy, which displayed its firepower. He was shown the Russian ship’s air defense platform as well as artillery and firearms.
This was followed by the signing of the certificate of turnover of military equipment to the Philippine military.
The military equipment donation, the first from Russia under the Duterte administration, was composed of 5,000 units of AK-74M Kalashnikov rifles, 20 multi-purpose vehicles, one million pieces of ammunition and 5,000 steel helmets.
It was the third port visit in 2017 by Russian warships as part of Duterte’s bid to engage closely with Moscow, archrival of Manila’s closest defense ally, Washington.
In an interview, Lorenzana said the Russian government gave the donations to the Philippine government “at no cost.”
“They want to help us to fight terrorism because they are also fighting terrorism in their country and they want to help the worldwide fight against terrorism,” Lorenzana said.
In May, Duterte went on an official visit to Russia but had to cut short his trip because of the attack on Marawi City by Islamic State-linked extremist groups, which prompted him to declare martial law in Mindanao.
Duterte however was able to meet his “favorite hero” Vladimir Putin during his short visit to Moscow.
Following the aborted trip, Philippine and Russian officials signed 10 agreements, including intelligence-sharing and defense cooperation, with the two countries agreeing to conduct official visits and military port calls as well as to allow observers in training exercises.