Leasing ships from other countries poses to be a better alternative to boost the capabilities of the Philippines’ maritime force, National Maritime Council Spokesperson Alexander Lopez said on Saturday.
Lopez made the remark in response to the proposal of Sen. Francis Tolentino to acquire additional vessels through leasing.
In a news forum, Lopez said the idea of leasing maritime assets has been floated for some time. However, he said the proposal still needs to be studied further.
“Even iyong nasa serbisyo pa ako, na-float na itong idea na ito, ‘baka puwede tayong umarkila kasi wala nga tayong mga—kulang ang ating mga kagamitang pandagat,” Lopez, a retired Vice Admiral, said.
“Sana, siguro ma-consider ng ating mga otoridad at mapag-aralang mabuti kasi hindi rin ganoon kadali,” he added
Lopez said leasing vessels can temporarily shore up the Philippine’s presence within its territories while waiting for the delivery of acquired vessels.
“Hindi siya ganoon kadali, so habang nasa proseso ang pag-a-acquire ng mga bagong gamit pang-dagat papapunta man sa coastguard o sa Philippine navy man, ay baka tama iyong sinasabi ni Senator Tolentino, for the meantime, stop gap measure, siguro manghiram muna tayo, mag-rent muna tayo,” he said. | PND
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