Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro announced before parliament in Manila that his country will no longer proceed with the purchase of new weapons systems from Israel. The decision, reported by the Hebrew newspaper Globes, came in response to rising domestic political pressure over Israel’s brutal war on Gaza. The paper noted that the move means the Israeli arms industry has lost a major Asian client.
The Philippines has long been considered one of the most important markets for Israeli weapons in East Asia and according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the Philippines ranked second worldwide between 2019 and 2023 as a destination for Israeli arms exports, accounting for 12% of total deals—behind India (37%) and ahead of the United States (8.7%).
“A Lesson Learned”
Teodoro explained that the government had “learned a lesson” from difficulties in disengaging from older contracts due to weak legislative safeguards. He referred to a past deal with Elbit Systems to purchase 155mm artillery shells worth 250 million Philippine pesos for the “Atmos” howitzers, clarifying that this was not a new acquisition but part of earlier agreements.
The minister stressed that Manila would focus only on maintaining and operating its existing systems, describing the retention of platforms like “Atmos” as wiser than introducing entirely new systems that could disrupt the country’s defence modernisation plans.
“Changing entire systems requires a complete redesign of the military modernisation program,” Teodoro said.
Growing Military Ties Now Under Pressure
In recent years, Philippine-Israeli military cooperation has expanded. Just a year ago, the Philippine Navy received two fast-attack vessels equipped with Rafael’s Spike NLOS long-range missiles (25–30 km range). These precision “fire-and-forget” weapons were seen as a symbol of the growing partnership.
But this latest announcement represents a turning point. It comes at a critical moment for Israeli arms exports, which have already faced major setbacks. Official figures show that the Asia-Pacific share of Israeli defence exports dropped within a year from 48% to just 23%, while Europe’s share surged from 35% to 54%. The total value of Israeli arms exports in 2024 reached $14.8 billion, double what it was five years earlier.
Diversification Ahead
Teodoro concluded by stating that the Philippines would continue to use existing Elbit-supplied equipment for at least two decades. However, he emphasised the need to diversify suppliers in the future:
“This is an important lesson in risk management and strategic planning.”
