Gibo open to US proposal to build ammo facility in Subic Bay
(Photo: DND)
Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. is open to the United States’ proposal to establish an ammunition production and storage facility in Subic Bay, a former American naval base.
Teodoro, however, clarified that he has yet to receive the formal proposal from Washington.
“I have yet to see a formal proposal but naturally when you consider it, any production entity which would be of benefit to the Philippines, not only in terms of our resilience, but improving, giving employment, and other technological transfers, that might be encouraged,” he told reporters on Monday, June 30.
According to reports, US lawmakers are looking at establishing an ammunition production and storage facility in Subic Bay to address what they deemed as a “lack of a forward-staged ammunition manufacturing” in the Indo-Pacific region.
Teodoro said such proposal will likely be considered since Manila and Washington are treaty allies.
The facility is expected to produce and store ammunition stockpiles and related materials such as nitrocellulose, nitroglycerin and acid among others, reports noted.
It is yet to be determined how the proposal will supplement the operation of the Government Arsenal (GA).
The GA, one of the bureaus of the DND, is in charge of manufacturing standard weapons and ammunition for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). It is located in Limay, Bataan.