The US is giving the Philippines two used military aircraft, the coast guard said today, to help Manila expand sea patrols in the face of territorial disputes with China.
The two Sherpa 30-seater aircraft will be delivered in December, Philippine coast guard spokesman Commander Armand Balilo told AFP.
“It will help us in the movements of the Philippine Coast Guard like patrol missions,” Balilo added.
The announcement came days after Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday sparked a major diplomatic row with Manila’s longtime treaty ally the United States by branding President Barack Obama a “son of a whore”.