Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILABULLETIN)

Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers has shot down the prospect of the Philippines purchasing armaments from China.

Barbers had this to say amid China's suppsposed "meddling" in the Philippines' plan to acquire mid-range missiles and other armaments from the United States (US).

The House quad-committee (quad-comm) overall chairman didn't have anything good to say about China-made missiles, or any products for that matter.

“Baka siguro gusto ng China ay sa kanila tayo bumili ng mga military weapons na kung iisipin ay baka mabudol tayo dahil kilala sila sa pag-produce ng mga counterfeit o peke na mga gamit, mga kagamitan from head to foot,” he said.

(Maybe China wants us to buy military weapons from them, but this could lead to deception since they are known to produce counterfeit or fake items, from head to foot.)

Barbers has been a consistent critic of China even as the Asia giant continues its incursions in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

The Mindanaoan said the Filipino people should also assail the spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mao Ning, for saying that our officials are making an “irresponsible choice” when it plans to upgrade its military capability by buying armaments from the US. 

Mao Ning also reiterated Communist Party of China's  (CPC) call for Manila to withdraw the Typhon missile system that the US Army brought to the Philippines earlier this year for large-scale military exercises. Its arrival marked the first deployment of the US weapon system in the Asia-Pacific region.

“Anong pakialam ng CPC kung magdala ang US ng Typhon missile system sa Pilipinas para sa joint US-PH military exercises? Nakikialam ba tayo pag nagho-hold ang China ng military exercises sa Russia at mga ally nila na bansa? Hindi, di ba?” Barbers noted.

(Why does the CPC care if the US brings the Typhon missile system over to the Philippines for the joint US-PH military exercises? Do we meddle whenever China conducts military exercises with Russia and their other country-allies? We don't, right?)