4 hours ago
1
Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!
Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.
Visit Suniway.ph to learn
Alexis Romero - The Philippine Star
August 8, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines could acquire more Indian BrahMos missiles to boost its defense capabilities, President Marcos said Wednesday.
Marcos clarified that the country is not preparing for war as it deals with China’s aggression in the West Philippine Sea.
In an interview with Indian media outlet Firstpost, Marcos said Filipino troops “seem terribly confident” in the supersonic cruise missiles, based on the training and demonstrations conducted in the Philippines and India.
“I think that we are in the process of procuring more. The Indian defense industry has been growing very rapidly and its technology is second to none. That’s always an option for us,” Marcos said.
“I’ve spoken to the officers and men who operate the BrahMos system and they say we need more,” he added. “Thank God, it has never been used.”
Marcos said the Philippines has to upgrade its defense equipment to be interoperable with its allies.
“Everything’s on the table right now. As you may know, the Philippines is in the midst of a modernization of our military. We are looking to see what’s most suitable for our defensive needs,” he emphasized.
Military upgrade efforts, he said, are meant to defend the country, not provoke a conflict.
“We are not girding up for war. We are simply reacting to the challenges that we are facing. Those challenges, tensions have increased in the past years. This is just the reaction to that… We have a schedule of procurement of military equipment,” he stressed.
Asked whether he was confident that Indian military equipment could stand up and defeat Chinese weapons in a conflict, Marcos replied: “We don’t look at it that way. We look at whether they can defend the Philippines. And I think they will. I think they are very good pieces of equipment... We have trained to use them for maximum effect, should the time come, God forbid.”
In 2022, the Philippines under then president Rodrigo Duterte inked a $375-million deal for the purchase of missiles from BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture between India and Russia.
The first batch of missiles arrived in April last year.
Without mentioning China, Marcos emphasized the need for the Philippines and India to work together in support of a rules-based order, during a foreign policy address hosted by the New Delhi-based think tank Observer Research Foundation.
Marcos said there are efforts to discredit international legal procedures and dismiss binding rulings “to cloak opaque claims with a semblance of legitimacy.”
India also has a dispute with China, a longstanding row that involves their shared Himalayan border.
Marcos said Filipinos are proud of efforts to promote the rule of law, including through the 1982 Manila Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of Disputes.
Diplomatic initiatives, he argued, must “buttress the current structures of global governance.”
Marcos also highlighted the importance of the continued centrality of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in the regional architecture, as well as the active engagement by all stakeholders in mechanisms led by the regional bloc and meaningful linkages between the efforts of ASEAN member states and those of the Indian Ocean region.
“Our work to strengthen the multilateral system must ensure that the so-called major countries do not exert undue influence. It should lead to meaningful reforms in the United Nations and the Security Council itself, toward inclusivity, equity and justice,” he said.
Science, defense ties
Meanwhile, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and its Indian counterpart have renewed their program of cooperation to explore critical fields, such as artificial intelligence and vaccine development.
The program of cooperation between the DOST and New Delhi’s Ministry of Science and Technology is one of 13 deals inked during Marcos’ five-day state visit to India.
Both agencies ended ties in 2022, with three projects affected since the pandemic.
The newly signed partnership will last until 2028, with one meeting expected between officials annually.
“India is a very important partner because they do a lot of research and development and they can scale up results in a cheaper manner,” Science Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. said on the sidelines of the Luzon leg of Handa Pilipinas at Newtown Plaza Hotel.
Former Indian Ambassador Shambhu Kumaran lauded the “spirit of cooperation” between the Philippines and India.
As for military ties, the Department of National Defense (DND) announced yesterday the signing of three preliminary agreements that will boost relations between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Indian Armed Forces.
Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. signed on Aug. 5 three terms of reference (TORs) with Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, strengthening military cooperation with plans of joint engagements in the future. — EJ Macababbad, Michael Punongbayan
