By Francis Wakefield
Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana led the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Government Arsenal (GA) Force Protection Equipment (FPE) and 5.56MM magazine manufacturing plants at Camp Antonio Luna, Lamao, Limay, Bataan on Friday.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana (Office of the Secretary of National Defense / MANILA BULLETIN) (Photo: Joseph Vidal/PRIB/ MANILA BULLETIN
Lorenzana was joined by no less than Republic of Korea (ROK) Ambassador to the Philippines Han Dongman, Samyang Comtech Co., Ltd. Inc. Representative Kim Jong-il, BuHueng Precision Co., Ltd. President Min Hung-ki, and Director General Kim Kitaek from ROK’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration.
In his speech, Lorenzana said they earlier submitted a bill to convert the Government Arsenal into a defense industrial complex to also help generate investment and employment for the people of Bataan.
“We submitted a bill to convert this area into a defense industrial complex so that we can have right as investors, we can enjoy tax holidays or incentives and then later on we can export also from this place anything that we manufacture here,” Lorenzana said
“The project will also be good to the province of Bataan because the project will also generate investment and employment for the people here,” he added.
The DND Public Affairs Service said the Government Arsenal signed an implementing agreement with SAMYANG Comtech Co. Ltd and BuHeung Precision for the co-production of the FPE and 5.56MM magazines, respectively.
DND Public Affairs Service Chief Director Arsenio R Andolong, said SAMYANG Comtech Co. Ltd will establish FPE manufacturing and testing facilities, which shall have an annual capacity of 20,000 sets of armored vest and ballistics helmet in the former Elisco Tool (ELITOOL) building within the Government Arsenal complex.
BuHeung Precision Co. Ltd, on the other hand, will build a 5.56mm 30-round magazine manufacturing plant that will supply the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) with magazines.
"Both companies will eventually transfer to the agency the technology needed in the production and testing of FPE, primarily armor vests and ballistic helmets, and magazines," Andolong said.
"These technologies are needed by the GA to boost its self-reliance defense capability to support the requirements of the AFP and other law enforcement agencies," he added.