Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said the government is studying a way to make sure that the down payment to buy Russian helicopters that was cancelled by the previous administration will not go to waste.

During the "Laging Handa" public briefing, Teodoro expressed regret over the opportunities due to the cancellation of the acquisition of MI-17 heavy lift helicopters deal with a down payment of 1.9 billion pesos.

"We are studying, together with the Office of the Solicitor General and other lawyers of the government, the most effective and good way for us to get our money's worth," he said.

"I am expecting within the year we will get a resolution on our way forward for this," he added.

The Department of National Defense (DND) announced the termination of the deal last August 2022. It added the contract for the chopper acquisition was signed before the Ukraine war broke-out on February 24, 2022.

Teodoro also stressed how good the quality of the MI-17 choppers which according to him was also "acquired by the Americans to use in Afghanistan before, which was also used in many countries."

The contract with Sovtechnoexport LLC of the Russian Federation for the acquisition of 16 units of Mi-17 heavy-lift helicopters amounting to P12.797 billion was terminated during the previous administration.

Arsenio Andolong, DND spokesman, previously said that "changes in priorities necessitated by global political developments resulted in the cancellation of the project by the previous administration." Robina Asido/DMS