The Department of National Defense (DND) is cancelling its acquisition of 16 pieces of combat utility helicopter (CUH) from Bell and Canadian Commercial Corp. (CCC), and the government will instead scout for another contractor from other countries that could supply its requirement for medium-lift choppers.
The scuttling of the project with the world-renowned helicopter company and its manufacturer—the third-biggest modernization for the Armed Forces of the Philippines—is being made in compliance with President Duterte’s order for the DND to look elsewhere for sources of the helicopters outside Canada.
“The formal letter cancelling the contract is being prepared and I will sign it this week. We are looking at Korea, Russia, China and Turkey and other countries for our medium lift helicopters in lieu of the Bell 412,” Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana said on Monday.
The contract covered 16 pieces of Bell 412 EPI choppers worth P12 billion, the third-biggest modernization project of the military after the acquisition of a squadron of South Korean FA-50 fighter jets worth P18.9 billion and the procurement of two brand-new frigates with a total worth of P15.7 billion.
However, Lorenzana admitted that the scuttling of the project with Bell and CCC, which was signed in 2014 but was formalized last week, will revert the helicopter acquisition program to “square one.”
The military has already acquired eight CUH in an older and separate contract with the Canadian company.
Immediately after the contract for the 16 Bell 412 was formalized, the Canadian government announced that it will review the deal after Armed Forces Deputy of Staff for Plans and Programs Maj. Gen. Restituto Padilla said that the choppers would be used in internal security operations.
“The AFP deal for the acquisition of the Canadian Bell 412 as a combat utility helicopter is a very transparent one. From the very onset, the contract has specified that we are acquiring a combat utility helicopter (CUH),” he explained.
“It’s intended use as combat utility helicopter is for the transport of troops, especially combat casualties and for troop sustainment. It is not an offensive platform and not armed as such. We have dedicated attack helicopters as offensive platforms for such operations,” he added.
His statement prompted Canadian lawmakers to declare that the helicopters would be used to “kill” Filipinos, noting the Philippine government’s allegedly blurry human- rights record, which is principally associated with the ongoing war on illegal drugs.
Canada maintains strict standards for human rights.
Despite Canada’s decision to review the deal, Lorenzana worked to save the project until the last minute, saying that it should be exempted from partisan political processes, but Canada’s pronouncement got the goat of Duterte and ordered that the DND should just instead look for another country supplier.
Had the contract with Bell and CCC pushes through, the first delivery of the helicopters should be made next year.